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FRENCH REVOLUTION IN 1848. 



THE THREE DAYS 



OF 



FEBUUART, 1848 ; 



WITH 



SKETCHES OF LAMARTINE, GUIZOT, ETC, 



PERCY B. ST. JOHN, 

AN EYE-^VITNESS OF THE WHOLE REVOLUTION. 



NEW-YORK: 
GEO. P. PUTNAM, 

OF LATE FIRM OF "WILEY & PUTNAM," 
155 Broadway. 

1848. 



I THE LIBRARY 
I or CONGRESS 

b 



WASHIVQTON 



M iiM w i n w 



Learitt, Trow & Co., Printersj 

33 AjfK-STREET. 



ADVERTISEMENT 



This rapid sketch of the recent French Revolutions 
Written scarcely ten days after the fighting was over, 
and while the whirl of the great drama is still felt 
around moj will, of course, bear marks of the time and 
place in which it was composed. It is, however, a faith- 
ful record of what I have seen, and of what I have 
heardo The secret history of the ^ social cataclysm' has 
yet to be written, but it will not be amiss to have thrown 
together all that is as yet knov/n of a great event preg- 
nant with remarkable results for France and Europe. 

P, B. ST. JOHN, 
Paris*, March 16, 1848. 



CONTENTS, 



CHAPTER I. 
The causes of the recent Revolution 9 

CHAPTER II. 
The Reform Banquets 19 

CHAPTER III. 
The opening of the Chambers . , . . . .36 

CHAPTER IV. 

February sittings of the Chambers— Preparations for the great 

Reform Banquet .50 

CHAPTER V. 
Sunday and Monday, February 20 and 21 . . . .59 

CHAPTER \^, 

Tnesday, February 22 7S 

1* 



5 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER Vll. 

Page 

The night of the 22nd and the 23rd 91 

CHAPTER Vm. 
The last night of the French monarchy .... 120 

CHAPTER IX. 
Pereonal narrative 129 

CHAPTER X. 
FaU of Louis Philippe 141 

CHAPTER XI. 
The taking of the Tuileries . . . , , .151 

CHAPTER XIL 

The last sitting of the Chamber of Deputies . , . 158 

CHAPTER Xni. 
Personal narrative . . . . . . . .179 

CHAPTER XR'. 
The proclamation of the Republic 18S 

CHAPTER XV. 
The 25th of February ....... 304 



CONTENTS. 7 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Page 

Louis Philippe— Guizot— Mole— Thiers— Barrot , . .209 

CHAPTER XVn. 

Lamartine — Arago- — Ledru-Rollin—Cremienx— Louis Blanc 

—Marrast—Flocon— Albert ...... 233 



THE THREE DAYS 

FEBRUARY, 1848. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE CAUSES 01? TEE RE€SNT EEVOLtTTlO]Sf-» 

It is impossible lo understand the events v/hich have 
just occurred in Paris, without inquiring, however brief- 
ly, into the causes which brought about so momentous a 
change— a change to all, unexpected, astounding, save 
those who studied the French people them.selves! It 
appeared to every casual observer, on RIonday, the 21st 
of February, that there existed in Europe a powerful 
kingdom called France. Its monarch, surrounded by a 
handsome and numerous family, supported by a vast 
army, by all but an unanimous Chamber of Deputies, 
with a House of Peers devoted to his person, with an 
electoral body, an immense majority of whom were en- 
thusiastic adherents to the dynasty and its system, with 
an overwhelming force of friends among the monied 
classes, seemed to be placed beyond tlie reach of acci- 
dent. 

Those, however, who, residing in France, devoted 
themselves with earnestness to the study of passing 
events, and who not only examined affairs as they oc- 
curred, but studied them by comparison with the great 

2 



10 THE CAUSES OF 

Revolution, were well aware of what was eomfng-. It 
vvas, in fact, impossible to live in Paris and mix with the 
people, the army, the middle classes, without being pre- 
pared for the end. I, for one, nearly ^ix months back, 
declared on many occasions that Louis Philippe would 
not reign long in France. I constantly repeated thi& 
surmise in print, in conversation, in private letters, and 
was looked on as an alarmist, an enthusiast, un tete 
exaUe: 

Bnt those who, with me, saw the threatening cloud 
on the political horizon, founded their suppositions on a 
very simple course of reasoning, derived from a careful 
study of the daily press, of the debates in the Cham- 
bers, from conversation with the people, from constant 
communication with active and well-informed men of all 
classes. 

The causes of the recent French Revolution may 
"be variously stated to be :■ — the Ptevolution of 1830 ; the 
reaction which hfis taken place ever since ] the personal 
Government of Louis Philippe ; the appointment of the- 
Duc d'Aumale as Governor of Algiers ; the ruling of 
France by purchased majorities : the entrance of cor- 
ruption into the administration of affaii's ; the Teste 
trial ; the suicide of the Due de Praslin ; the Refornr 
banquets ; the King's speech ; the prohibition of public 
meetings. 

The causes are here traced back to 1880. I do this 
advisedly, being convinced that on the very day Louis 
Philippe sat himself on the throne, the reaction against 
him began. The revolution of that day was effected by 
two means, by the organized conspiracy of the republi- 
cans, and by the spontaneous indignation of the middle 
classes at the despotic policy pursued by the Govern- 
ment of the Restoration. It is now well known that for 
some time previous to July, 1830, the secret society of the 
Carbonari, amounting to about sixty thousand men, had 
organized committees sitting in the neighbourhood of the 



THE RECENT REVOLUTIOJN". 11 

Palais Royal. These commktees v/ere composed, at 
first, wholly of republicans ; but afterwards, the Duke 
of Orleans discovering of what avail this society might 
be, sent in his agents, and by the lavish use of money, 
succeeded in gaining a majority in the governing council. 
Nor were these the only means resorted to. The bound- 
less wealth of the royal Duke enabled him to have 
agents every where, and no secret society was without the 
presence of his friends. When Charles X. and his min- 
isters,, by the celebrated ordonuances^ turned the middle 
classes against thera, and enabled the republicans to 
bring affairs to an issue, the presence of the agents of 
Louis Philippe in the Carbonari council, prevented that 
body from acting with the unity which would have been 
necessary to ensure a Republic. Besides, at that date 
the Chamber of Deputies was popula-r, having been but 
^iust elected, and being swayed by a majority against the 
hated Bourbons and their ministers. The middle classes 
aiad this time the game in their hands, and they declared 
for another monarchy — -the famous meilleur des repub- 
Uques ! The republicans never forgave this defeat. 
They, and the majority of the working classes, fought 
in these days for a republic, and they looked upon 
themselves as deceived,^ tricked^ and ignominiously van- 
-quished- 

But they were not disheartened. After a few at- 
tempts at revolution, they gave up for the time the sys- 
tem of physical force and appeals to the streets, and 
determined to adhere to that far surer instrument, the 
pen, which wirth patieEce they counted on to give them 
^ultimately complete victG^ry. The National and its party 
wrote, talked, secretly spread thei^ doctrine^^ and then 
relied mainly ob. the errors of power- The French Re- 
■publicans Teasoned thus, and, as the issue has shown, 
.■correctly : " The mere powerful the dynasty becomes, 
the more really will it resemble the Restoration, and as 
..surely as .this happens, so will it gr®w at first unpopular, 
Ihen hated." 



12 ^ THE CAUSES OF 

The republicans were rights for they knew the man 
in whose hands were the destinies of France. It is un- 
pleasant to strike at the fallen ; but it is impossible to 
explain the causes of the revolution I seek to describe^ 
without speaking the truth with regard to X^oois Philippe. 
The son and grandson of two infamously celebrated men, 
he has gained by comparison with them, for he was not 
debauched, loathsome, and hateful like them. Still I 
have never had but one opinion of Louis Philippe. In 
early youth, he showed himself ambitious above all 
things. In the first French Revolution, he hoped after 
his father's death to have stood upon the throne ; and 
then, when he saw he had no hope in France, joined 
Dumouriez in betraying his country to the foreigner, in 
order to force himself upon a nation which had rejected 
the very name of monarchy. 

During the Restoration he Y*as a hypocrite. No 
man was more attentive in paying his court to the Royal 
family, to the Duke and Duchess de Berri, iintil he saw 
them falling. Then placed upon the throne by the un- 
happ)'" alliance of Lafayette, Lafitte, and the middle 
classes, he ruled first as a citizen King, while the spirit 
of insurrection was yet alive ; but no sooner was this- 
crusbed than he showed himself in the same colours 
which have characterized every King of France, save 
the unfortunate Louis XYl. Louis Philippe^'s policy 
from 18.30 to 1848, has at home been very simple, all 
his efforts havincp been desiofned to make the middle 
classes materially happy, and his every thought directed 
to interest a powerful and influential party in his favour 
by augmenting their wealth, and letting them feel that 
their riches were derived from him. Under some admin- 
istrations, the country was dazzled by a show of glory ; 
but under Guizot, there never was any policy traceable 
in the acts of King or minister, but which tended to pur- 
chase support. For a long time, no King was mor& 
powerful than Louis Philippe. In France the army is^. 



THE ±iec:ent revolution. J 3 

>in times of peace, a doubtful source of strength. It is 
an axiom, which had sufficient attention been paid to it 
might have saved the monarchy, that the support of the 
«,rmy is wholly dependent on the National Guard. As 
long as the National Guard remain faithful to the Gov- 
ernment, so do the troops; the moment the civic foice 
wavers, then the line also gives way. This arises from 
the fact that the army in France is but a portion of the 
people, and serves the Sovereign only so long as he pos- 
sesses the confidence of his subjects. When the middle 
■classes and people unite, the soldiers are aware that the 
country has declared against the King, Napoleon, a 
great general, could use his soldiers, his companions 
and children, as it were, against the people ; not so Louis 
Philippe. The moment he seriousl}^ depended on the 
army, it failed him. 

For many years the National Guard remained firmly 
faithful to a King who gave them peace and prosperity ; 
under whose reign, commerce, trade, and the useful arts 
made rapid strides, and who enabled them to fill their 
purses to their heart's content, who encouraged in some 
measure the presence of foreigners, and particularly of 
English, who wholly support the shops in the quarter of 
the Tuileries, 

No greater proof is wanting of the blind adherence 
of the middle classes to the polic}^ of Louis Philippe, than 
the enormous sums they allowed him to expend in forti- 
fications, the vast increase of taxation submitted to un- 
murmuringly, and the earnestness with which every 
thing like democratic or republican change was scouted. 

But encouraged by impunity, Louis Philippe and his 
ministers began, a few years back, a series of stupendous 
blunders. The King, who owed his throne to three days' 
fighting in the streets of Paris, wholly forgot the people 
who placed him in the palace of the Tuileries. He be- 
gan to think himself as sure, if not more so, than the so- 
called legitimate monarchs of France. To say nothing 

2* 



14 THE CAUSES OF 

of an enormous civil list ; of permission to cnt wood 
in tlie national forests, a permission abused in the most 
notorious manner • of domfianSj and every conceivable 
mode of draining money from the nation : there came 
into his head the^unhappy idea of the Spanish marriages. 

To this fatal act may be attributed mainly the fall of 
Louis Philippe. The mere fact of the marriage of the 
Duke de Montpensier was popular enough in France, but 
the consequences v/ere momentous. The breaking up 
of the alliance with England, the union of France with 
the northern powers, produced a total change in the for- 
eign policy of Guiaot."^' 

The French people are intimately convinced that 
they are liberty incarnate, that they are the immediate 
cause of progression throughout Europe. In fact^ they 
are right. Their great Revolution, doubtless shattered 
many remnants of t^^ranny beyond the limits of their own 
land ; many a moral Bastile fell with that of the Porte- 
St. Antoine, and French political theories have had 
weighty influence in Italy, Germany, Spain,, and else* 
where. 

But to gain ihe alliance of Austria, Prussia and Rus- 
sia, it v/as necessary for the French Government to sac- 
rifice the interests of Poland^ to pass over Galicia ii^ 
silence,, to biilly the liberal Pope, to discountenance 
reform in Italy, to retard constitutional progress, to sup- 
port the Jesuits in Sv/itzerland, and, in a wo?d,to become 
counter- revolutionary. Now, in Fraace, there are no 
two words niore fatal to a government, than retrograde 
and counter-revolutionary^ The most moderate liberal 
in France is devoted to the great principle decided by the 
Revolution of 1789^ and consecrated by^that of 1830, that 
the people have a right to self-government. There is a. 
difference of opinion as to how many persons constitute 

* Lamartine always prophesied the fatal ending of the Spanish 
marriages, and even looked upon them montlis back as tending t&> 
overthrow the dynasty. 



^ THE RECENT REVOLUTION. 10> 

the people^ but the theory is every where adnrilted. 
The moment, therefore, the cabinet of the Tiiileries 
and the King showed, by their acts, a tendency to en- 
courage despotism in Naples, Rome, and Italy gene- 
rally, the moment they supported the Sonderbund and the 
Jesuits with counsel and arms they were lost, for thej 
turned against them all moderate men, who, satisfied 
with monarchy, were still devoted to liberal institutions. 

Up to a certain point, the advice of Guizot to the 
middle classes that they should enrich themselves, was 
good. Wealth and labour are the sinews of a great 
country. But not satisfied with giving this advice, the 
minister opened up, to serve his master, disgraceful sour- 
ces of wealth. It was notorious in France, that any 
electoral body, however small, left wholly to their owo 
voices— save a few royalist towns — would elect men of 
liberal views, and favourable to the gradual progress of 
reform. Such a parliament was altogether unsuited to 
Louis Philippe. 

Not content v/ith having an aristocracy of electors — ■ 
two hundred and forty thousand out of more than five 
million adults — the Orleans dynasty and its partisans 
had to resort to the most corrupt practices to purchase the 
support of these constituents. The centralization which 
existed in France, left at the disposal of Government 
more than four hundred thousand places, great and small. 
These, with crosses of the Legion of Honour, roads, con- 
cessions of mines, loans to companies, and direct pur- 
chase of votes by cash, enabled the Guizot administra- 
tion to ensure itself a majority. This majority, obtained 
however by such corrupt means, could only be safe io 
as far as it was interested. Out of four hundred and 
fifty odd members, therefore, two hundred and four were 
placemen, a body regularly marshalled down to vote like 
a drove of ' freemen ' at an English election. 

This was notorious, and proved to every thinking mind 
that not only the ministry, but the whole system reposed 
on a false basis. 



16 THE CAUSES OF ' 

It was equally notorious that much of all this was 
necessary, fix)m the fact that Louis Philippe's character 
disabled him from reigning as a constitutional King. It 
was incompatible with his temper and viev/s. A servile 
majority, representing a corrupt body of electors, could 
alone be the accomplices of his policy and system. 

But corruption, once m.ade the order of the day, ser- 
vility, baseness, cupidity taught boldly in high places, 
the example was followed with frightful rapidity. Min- 
isters were seen selling concessions and regularly bar- 
gaining for the price of a law, the clerks in government 
offices imitated them. It became unsafe to send money 
througfh the post \ scarcely a ship left with coal for Algiers 
but carried fifty more tons than its register tonnage, the 
price of the difference being shared between the captain 
and the person whose duty it was to dispatch and receive ; 
men shamelessly offered their services to the Government 
at a fixed price ; the management of theatres was sold to 
the highest bidder ; in fact, in every department of the 
public service there existed corruption, which the heads 
of departments were compelled to wink at from fear of 
being themselves exposed. 

The trial of Teste and his associates was a fatal blow 
to the French monarchy. The doctrine of the republi- 
cans, that virtue v/as incompatible with a throne, seemed 
hourly realized. The suicide of the Due de Praslin, 
undoubtedly connived at by the police and higher powers, 
exasperated those who saw no mercy shown to poorer 
criminals. 

Then came the appointment of the Duke d'Aumale 
as Governor of Algeria. This was a fatal act. The 
army in France, drawn as it is by conscription from peo- 
ple of all classes, looks upon the highest offices in its 
ranks as open to ambition. According to the spirit of the 
French military system, every common soldier may as- 
pire to be a marshal. But soldiers, generals, all, saw 
the more important posts filled by the relatives of the 



THE RECENT REVOLUTION. 17 

King, and by his personal friends. Tiie Duke d'Au- 
male, as Governor of Algeria, disappointed the ambition 
of many an able and gallant officer ; while the notorious 
intention of making Montpensier Grand Master of the 
Artillery, was also fatal. Besides, for a long time, sol- 
diers had not risen high in the service; they were offi- 
cered more and more every day from the military schools, 
while it is notorious, that to keep up the va&t warlike es- 
tablishments of France, the men were insufficiently fed. 
An army of nearly four hundred thousand men in the 
midst of peace, was of itself monstrous, but absolutely 
not to give them enough of food v/as an in&ensate pro- 
ceeding, which can only be explained by the famous : 
Quern deus vidt perdere, &c. 

But the crying evil, that which in every class of so- 
ciety made men ask for change, was the crusliing nature 
of taxation. With direct impositions, loans, floating debt^ 
the taxes in France were much heavier under the reign 
of Louis Philippe than during the wars of Napoleon, 
His enormous army, his Algiers' war, his fortifications^ 
his dotations, his system of creating numerous unneces- 
sary offices to buy votes, had swelled the taxes of France 
to sums var3''ing from fourteen to sixteen hundred mil- 
lions annually. 

Thus hampered with taxation, aggravated by scarcity, 
commerce in 1847 was at a low ebb, every trade lan- 
guished, labour became scarce and ill-paid ; in fact, the 
whole nation was sacrificed to the necessity of keeping 
up a series of vastly expensive establishments, all tend- 
ing to support the system. 

For two or three years back, these and other causes 
had changed the middle classes of France from stanch 
supporters of Louis Philippe, to lukewarm friends or di- 
rect enemies. During the whole of 1847 I have seen it 
going on. Amid the working classes, hate ; amid the 
middle, disgust or indifference. Every day corruption 
increased in notoriety^ and every hour taxation pressed 



16 THE CAUSES OF THE EECENT REVOLUTION. 

more heavily on poor and rich. Famine and scarcity 
were aggravated by a system of ijnjjots which wrung the 
very last sou from the poor man. 

For what ? To support a monarch, who, having no 
place in the affections of his people, was compelled to 
rely on soldiers and police, who receiving enormous 
sums fi'om the people, in addition to a stupendous private 
fortune, locked up his treasures in chests, or sent them 
out of the country to prepare for eventualities. 

And yet, Louis Philippe and his ministers had a 
powerful majority in the Chambers, a majority among 
the electors throughout the country, a vast army which 
obeyed from habit and discipline, an opposition broken 
yp, disjointed, disunited, utterly powerless. Such wa^ 
the position of the Liberals, Republicans, Carlists, and 
iOihers who composed the minoritj'- in the Session of 1847,, 



THE EEFOSM BANQUETS, 



CHAPTER II. 

TEE REFOEM BANQUETS. 

When the Session of 1847 closed, the opposition had 
been, in all divisipns and other efforts, so completely 
beaten^ that they discovered some new tactics were re- 
quired. Odillon Barrot, Lafayette, Lasteyrie, and the 
other Liberals became convinced that there was no hope 
of rousing the country except by the formation of a strong- 
party, supported by a due weight of public opinion. In 
the Session of 1847, the question of Parliamentary Re- 
form, proposed by Duvergier de Hauranne, was indig- 
nantly rejected. It was not allowed to go beyond the 
bureaux. M. Guizot tauntingly told the opposition that 
the country had not asked for Parliamentary Reform ; 
that there had been neither petitions nor public meetins^s^ 
in a word, that the demand was simply the watchword of 
a faction. 

The opposition replied by the great banquet of the 
Chateau Rouge, where Republicans, Liberals, Radicals, 
Moderates, all united to condemn the conduct of the Gui- 
zot administration. Their corruption was assailed, their 
retrograde and counter-revolutionary policy was denounc- 
ed, and all parties hinted that the King both ruled and 
reigned. Indeed, the personal government of the mon- 
arch was, to the members of the opposition, matter of so 
great notoriety, that they consented to withhold the King's 
name from the list of toasts, not only because they thus 
insured the presence of the Republicans, without which 
a popular agitation was impossible, the masses being all 



^0 THE REFOKM BANQUETS^ 

Republicans, but because they thus boldly condemned 
the violation of the Charter in the Kincr's person. 

None knew better than the opposition, that to so great 
an extent was Louis Philippe King and Prime Minister 
both, that during the councils held at the Tuileries, the 
Duke de Nemours sat by his side, and gave his voice 
and counsel, though covered by no responsibility ; none 
knew better that Parliamentary Reform was refused be- 
cause, like every c-ther liberal measure, it was displeasing 
to the King ; they knew likewise, that a man of Guizot's 
talents must have been aware how unanimous was the 
popular wish for progress, but he ^and his colleague 
braved public opinion to please the King and keep their 
places. 

The opposition, therefore, in commencing an agita* 
lion, could not but know that they were doing that which 
was personally disagreeable to the King, a matter which 
little troubled the Republicans and Legitimists, but 
which was somewhat delicate for those who expected to 
be carried by agitation into the places then occupied by 
their rivals. But Odillon Barrot, Cremieux, de Hauranne, 
and the other men belonging to the Constitutional Op- 
position, knew well that, office gained, there v/as a great 
probability of their being able to stay the King's anger. 
At all events, such was the general impression in France. 
Few men believed that Thiers and Barrot, once minis- 
ters, there would be any very marked change ; -but any 
thing was better than the actual state of things. And 
thus the agitation began. 

The moderates believed themselves the leaders of the 
popular movement, and thought that the people, after hav- 
ing been excited and warmed by the banquets, meetings, 
speeches, &c., would quietly sit down contented when 
they were once in office. Here was their great mistake. 
No little agitation can exist in France. It is not in the 
nature of the people. They are either not moved at all, or 
are shaken to their very centre. They will not take the 



THE REFORM BANQUETS. 21 

trouble to meet, talk, and pass resolutions, for a trifloo 
If, when they assemble, such be their idea, before their 
separation they are sure to find out their error. But the 
Opposition faciion, represented by Barrot, grievously de. 
luded themselves. They imagined that they couM raise 
the tempest, and conjure it too. This was their mistake. 

The Legitimists, a hopeless party, whose hatred of 
Louis Philippe blinded them to every consequence, con. 
sidering that any change was a step in advance, joined 
heartily in the agitation, under the delusion that an ap^ 
peal to the people, with Universal Suffrage, would be 
favourable to Flenry V. They have in the present 
juncture discovered, that in France a fallen dynasty can 
never reign, unless crammed down the people's throats, 
as in 1815, by foreign bayonets. There can here be no 
greater hindcrance to success, than having been thorough- 
ly beaten. The prestige of Napoleon was gone after he 
had been to Elba. He was no longer the invincible 
General, and his defeat at Waterloo, which before would 
have astounded his attached adherents, only grieved 
them. 

The Republicans alone made no allusions to them- 
selves. They knew well, that v/ith them were the 
masses of the people; with them were all the recolleC' 
tions of the great Revolution ; with them were the popu- 
lar ideas of liberty, of well-paid labour, of laws made for 
the poor as v/ell as the rich ; they knew that their party 
was the only one which would gain by the agitation ; 
they knew that the obstinacy of the King, the blindness 
of his ministers, the self-confidence of all his supporters, 
would gradually wean the middle classes from the 
dynasty, and make the country ready for any change. 

When the D^hats at once characterized every one 
who attended the Reform Banquets as Sans- Culottes^ 
Moniagnards, Terrorists, and invoked, right or wrong, 
bloody memories connected v/ith Marat, Danton, and 
Robespierre, the National a.nd Reforme chuckled. They 



22 THE REFORM BANQUETS. 

chuckled kDowingly, for their opponents thus drove 
many irritated men into the ranks of the Republicans, 
who considered they might as well be Democrats, as be 
called so. 

The Banquet at Chateau Pvouge, the signal fire 
which commenced the agitation, that has brought about 
results so momentous, might perhaps have had less in- 
fluence but for the attacks which the Debats. for a long 
time, daily lavished on the persons who attended it. 
This organ of the Guizot Administration was answered 
by the Constitutlonnel, Thiers' paper ; by the Steele, 
Barrot's journal ; by the E{forme, inspired by Ledru 
Rollin; and the National, one of the ablest written 
journals in France, and representing the Republicans. 
The polemic once commenced was not allowed to fall to 
the ground. Though M. Thiers, with a caution which 
made him most unpopular among the real Liberals, 
never attended a public meeting, his paper reported 
them largely, and U3ed them as a weapon against min- 
isters. 

The National, about the middle of August, wrote 
thus : " The electoral agitation can only become danger- 
ous should the Government throw any obstacle in the 
way of the declared will of the nation for Reform . . . . 
the overthrow of the monarchy would be the result of 
the inability of the present regime, inimical to all pro- 
gress, to give us just and reasonable Reforms." But it 
v/as in vain that such warnings were published, for al- 
ready the cabinet and King had determined that, how- 
ever loudly the countr)^ spoke, they would still deny all 
Reform. The Debats v/as instructed to terrify the mid- 
dle classes, by representing the whole opposition as Ter- 
rorists, a tactic which, thoroughly laid bare, did but ir- 
ritate the country. 

To the exposure, in the mean time, of most disgrace, 
ful acts of peculation and corruption, the cabinet either 
turned a deaf ear, or gave audacious denials ; the pro- 



THE REFORM BANQUETS. 23 

mise of a law in favour of the post-masters, on condition 
of their bribing to the extent of one million two hundred 
thousand francs, was daily quoted ; the murder of the 
Duchess of Praslin, and the suspicious poisoning of the 
Duke, created an universal impression that facility for 
suicide had been given to a man of rank. All seemed 
to tend to depopularize the ministry. 

The friends of the cabinet treated all these things as 
opposition tricks and tales, and still decried the Banquets 
as vulgar, anarchical, republican, and democratic. The 
Liberals replied very justly, that it was precisely because 
the country was not democratic that meetings were re- 
quired. Under a form of Government where every man 
has a vote, public meetings are altogether unnecessary ; 
but in a land which excludes all but a few from the ex- 
ercise of the franchise, the power to meet is peculiarly 
sacred. 

On the 22d of August, a Banquet was given to M. 
Berville, at Pontoise, where, as if to warn the dynasty, 
we are informed that the King's health, having been pro- 
posed by M. Coulbeaux, " was most coldly received.'^ 
At this meeting, Napoleon and the "system" were com- 
pared. The speaker argued that both were enemies of 
the progress of the great Revolution ; but, that while the 
one substituted glory for liberty, the other substituted 
" the culte effren^ et grassier of material interest." The 
same speaker said : " The highest intelligences are not 
free from dangerous illusions ;" and then, as if to again 
caution Louis Philippe, showed how the Emperor fell 
from having alienated the people. 

But the Guizot Administration, instead of discovering 
thence the opinion of France, contented themselves with 
sending circulars to the Prefects of Departments, with 
orders to prevent the Reform Banquets when possible. 
Another vigorous measure, was the seizure in the Post- 
Office of English newspapers containing unfriendly ar- 
ticles. At the same time, as if to multiply enemies, the 



24 THE REFORM BANQUETS. 

Minister of Justice commenced a fierce onslaught upon 
the press. The Charivari, Gazette de France, D^mo- 
cratie Padfique, National, and Estafette, were all seized 
and prosecuted, and several of the editors condemned to 
imprisonment and heavy fines. This measure predis- 
posed many to Revolution who were before, perhaps, un- 
decided. No man considered himself safe. Subscrip- 
tions in the journals for political detenus, kept alive the 
feeling. 

Towards the beginning of September, many Reform 
Banquets v/ere organized, amongst others, one at Arras, 
for which the various public buildings of the tovvn were 
refused by the Maire. Others were prepared at Troyes, 
Rheims, St. Quentin, &c., in all v/hich quarters eiTorts 
were made to prevent them. At the same time, a mas- 
ter's and workman's quarrel caused, in Paris, such im- 
posing assemblages of the people, that emeutes were only 
prevented by vast display of armed force and police. 
On this occasion the sergents de ville exhibited much of 
that brutality for which they so severely paid during the 
recent Revolution. 

At a Banquet at Rheims, the speakers, while advo- 
cating the largest Reform, reprobated Revolution, be- 
cause'they conceived that it was possible to obtain, at the 
last moment, concessions from ministers, who were load- 
ed with contumely. As a kind of reply, we suppose, 
they continued in their retrograde course, aiding the Je- 
suits in Switzerland, the reactionists at Rome, and sym- 
pathizing with absolutism every where. 

On the 5th of September, seven hundred Reformers 
attended a Banquet at Strasbourg. Here the King's 
health was excluded, and the sovereignty of the people 
placed in its stead. But not only at regular banquets 
was Electoral Reform demanded, but the Conseils Gen6- 
raux, of many influential departments, earnestly sup- 
ported the same popular measure, despite the efforts of 
the Prefects to prevent the subject being discussed. 



THE REFORM BANQUETS. 25 

At Bar-le-Duc, on the 10th, M. Etienne, deputy, 
speaking of men in power, observed — " They wish to 
enrich themselves by the most disgraceful means at the 
expense of public fortune ; they have even bought votes 
and consciences with money." lie then called on all 
good citizens to unite against such a series of deplorable 
immoralities. The ministerial organs replied by shouts 
of derision. 

A few days after, at Soissons, at a great dinner, M. 
I'Herbette, in the course of a long speech, showed the 
gradual progress of the Government of July, from demo- 
cracy to absolutism, and said — " Without, degradation of 
the dignity, greatness, and the interests of France ; 
within, crimes against liberty, efforts to destroy public 
spirit, utter impossibility of appealing to lofty ideas, to 
noble and generous passions, and a necessity of appealing 
to material interests, of dividing, seducing, and corrupt- 
ing." About the same date, another took place at 
Forges, attended by all the most influential men of the 
locality. 

At the very same moment, the appointment of the 
Due d'Aumale, as Governor of Algiers, was gazetted. 
All the world saw the danger of this act to the monarchy. 
Apart from the folly of sending a young Prince, but six 
years out of college, to govern a vast colony, requiring 
the very greatest degree of statesmanship and knowledge, 
and of implicating the whole dynasty in the errors he 
might commit, an ill-feeling was engendered in the armj/, 
for which the Orleans family have since paid dearly. 
The vice-rule of Algeria was the object of many a 
soldier's ambition, who saw all hope of obtaining such h 
post thus cut off. 

A storm of disapprobation was manifested throughout 
the whole country, both in the press and in society, as 
well as in the workshops — in France the most important 
of all. As usual, not the slightest notice was taken of 
the general manifestation of public opinion. 

3* 



26 THE REFORM BANQUETS. 

About the middle of September, the journeymen 
printers of Paris made the usual arrangements to cele- 
brate their annual dinner. For several years, not the 
slightest opposition had been offered to their so doing, 
particularly as the banquet was of a social and private 
character, wholly unconnected with politics. But already 
had ministers and their friends entered upon the false 
and fatal path which led them to destruction. The 
by.nquet v/as to have taken place at a restaurant. Just 
as the body of workmen were about to sit down, a Com- 
missary of Police ordered them to disperse. Being 
backed, as the man in office v/as, by municipal guards 
and soldiers, the artisans, after protest, obeyed ; but. de- 
termined not to be balked of their feast, demanded per- 
mission of a printer, known for his liberal opinions, to meet 
on his private premises, outside the tov/n. The printer 
acceded, and as the lav/ distinctly allov/s meetings in a 
private house, on the proprietor's own responsibility, no 
fear was felt for the result. But, with the idea which 
now actuated the Prefect of Police, guided, as he was, 
by the cabinet, legality was of little moment. 

Scarcely had the printers reassembled at the locale 
which had been generously placed at their disposal, ere 
some hundreds of soldiers, municipal guard, and a Com- 
missary of Police, presented themselves anew, entered 
the printer's house, and forcibly dispersed the assembly ; 
which, however, as a last resort, scattered itself in knots 
of ten and fifteen, in the neighbouring estaminets, restaur- 
ateurs and wine shops. Here, however, again the inde- 
fatigable police appeared, and summoned the proprietors 
fb turn them out. This insolent outra2;e excited little 
notice at the time, but that it was not without effect may 
be surmised, from the fact, that every journeyman 
printer in Paris turned out against the Government 
during the three days of February, 1848. 

For a long time, it had been made an excuse in the 
Government organs, that M. Guizot was not able to carry 



THE EEFORM BANQUETS. 27 

out the reforms he would have desired, because Marshal 
Soult, as President of the Council, overruled him. Every- 
one knew that this was a mere excuse, for his superior 
influence was as imaginary as could well be conceived. 
However, all such excuse v\^as now removed. 

On the 19th of Septem.ber, the ordonnance was signed 
by which M. Guizot became Prime Minister of France. 
On the same day took place one of the most important 
of the demonstrations made against his policy. Saint 
Quentin, a rich industrial town, was a place where a 
powerful ministry would be supported as long as it did 
its duty. But here, as elsewhere, the retrograde and re- 
actionary policy of the cabinet caused a large body of 
electors, and other influential men, to assemble to de- 
nounce them to the world. Barrot, Cambaceres, and 
others, branded the ministry as corrupt, mercenary, and 
utterly anti-national, amid the most uproarious applause, 
still not loud enough to reach the ears of those in the 
Tuileries. 

At all events, the speeches produced no serious effect, 
for the Debats came out with a most elaborate series of 
jokes upon the assemblage, some of which, as seeking to 
alarm the timorous, were lugubrious enough. But the 
opposition replied with a very just reflection, that if the 
Banquets were disagreeable to the Government, it was 
their own fault, for that they had refused Reform in the 
session of 1847, on the ground that there had been no* 
meetings to advocate the measure, no petitions to support 
it. M. Duchatel and M. Guizot, both made use of these 
expressions. 

About this time, the agitation, which at first had been 
somewhat lukewarm, spread over the whole country, 
which, wearied with seven years' submission to an ultra- 
conservative administration, showed signs of fermenta- 
tion. The journals devoted extended space to the Re- 
form Banquets ; and the organ of M. Thiers, seeing 
what a powerful engine they might be made, called loud- 



^ 



28 THE REFORM BANQUETS. 

ly for their repetition in every department of France. 
To the denunciations against these meetings, they replied 
by quoting the Ministerial Banquets which had a short 
time before been alluded to by the dominant party with so 
much satisfaction. In fact, in 1844, 1845 and 1846, the 
Conservatives were the banqueters ; Guizot at Lisieux, 
Duchatel at Mirambeau, Laclave-Laplagne at Miraude, 
Francois Delessert at Boulogne, had accepted dinners, 
and the Debats had reported them with satisfaction. 

On the 2nth, a great Reform meeting took place at 
Meaux. Seven hundred and fifty men sat down to 
table to the sound of the Marseillaise, There were pre- 
sent, members of the Municipal Council, a President of 
the Tribunal of Commerce, more than thirty i)/az>e5, and 
seven Deputies. At this meeting, the opposition openly 
denounced the personal frovernment of the King. Hither- 
to, in France, the republican, the ultra-radical only, had 
accused the King of reigning too despotically. But at 
i\Ieaux, Odilion Barrot spoke of the substitution " of a 
direct and irresponsible action for that of responsible 
agents who should govern the country. This dangerous 
intervention of the Crown is not enough, but all the great 
oinces of the state are being gradually absorbed by the 
reigning family, which escapes, if not by right, in fact, 
from all responsibility.'" This open attack on the King 
was loudly cheered ; and when Barrot pointed out the 
angerous consequences of this conduct, he was still 
further applauded. The Opposition, right or wrong, 
were thus most certainly sapping the foundation of the 
dynasty they professed to support ; and those in power 
should have discovered then how far the revolutionary 
spirit had spread. Barrot, in fact, used the following 
words of caution: — "Those who call themselves Con- 
servatives, do not know, are not aware, unintelligent and 
thoughtless beings, that by persisting in their indifference, 
and on the deplorable path they now are engaged on, 
they are moving rapidly, fatally, to that violent revolu- 
tion of which all should fear the consequences." 



THE REFORM BANQUETS. 29 

On the very same day, the King was violating the 
Charter by signing the decree which made Soult Mar- 
shal-General of France. This office was defunct. Now 
the Charter distinctly authorized the King to select any 
person he thought proper to fill an office, but gave no 
right to create one. The empty honour of being Mar- 
shal-General, no one grudged Soult ; but it was the prin- 
ciple of allowing the King to create places at will, which 
excited a storm of indignation. The words, Arch-Duke, 
Grand-Master of Artillery, Commander-in-Chief of the 
Army, had already been whispered in connection with 
his sons ; and this decree was looked upon as a feeler. 
A.o;ain, the revival of the offices of the old reaime, offices 
destroyed by the great Revolution, v/as peculiarl}^ irri- 
tating to a people who adored the memories of those 
days, and who began to see Louis Philippe taking up the 
whole scheme of the detested Bourbons. Red heels, 
epees, breeches, and cocked hats, were expected every 
hour. This explains the violence of the articles v/ritten 
on a point otherwise insignificant. 

Instead of defending this unwise act, the Dehats for 
several days amused the public with attacks on the 
Meaux Banquet, until it was silenced by the still more 
important meeting of the Loiret department, presided 
over by M. Abbatucci, President of the Cour Royale of 
Orleans, and Depute, Here the Guizot organ had an 
admirable opportunity for fault-finding, the King's health 
being excluded, and the President having spoken out in 
bold and explicit terms. He reminded his auditors of 
the July promise, that there should be a monarch sur- 
rounded by republican institutions ; he reminded them of 
the state of reaction against their tv/o revolutions which 
existed, and spoke of the personal government which 
Ministers guiltily covered by their responsibility. 

About the same time, Coulommiers had its ' meeting' 
where the Lafayettes, Lasteyries, and Barrots, continued 
to rouse the country ; then came the small local meet- 



30 THE EEFOEM BANQUETS . 

ings of Vitre, Damville, &c., which exercised do other 
influence on the ministerial party than vain protestations 
against the insults directed at the King's person. It is 
quite true his health was omitted, and his unconstitu- 
tional conduct blamed ; but as he was notoriously the 
real head of the cabinet, no other course of proceeding 
was practicable. 

It is impossible to allude particularly to all the Re- 
form Banquets. But before the end of October, Colmar, 
Strasbourg, Bar-le-Duc, Le Mans, Soissons, St. Quentin, 
Rheims, Perigueux, Orleans, Meaux, Coulommiers, Pie- 
rut, Vitre, Damville, Rennes, Amiens, Dunkerque, Lille, 
Cambrai, Loudeac, Angers, Rouen, Autun, Auxerre, 
Blois, Chartres, Cosne, Melun, Tours, Besancon, Dole, 
Lalinde, Bordeaux, &c., had followed the example set by 
Paris. 

Some of these banquets were purely dynastic oppo- 
sition ones : others strongly liberal ; others democratic. 
At one or two, where Ledru Rollin had been invited, the 
gauche refused to attend ; for Barrot, though prepared to 
agitate himself, was little disposed to follow a republican 
movement, or even sanction an}' democratic demonstra- 
tion by his presence. Still the Republicans and Moder- 
ates kept pretty well together. The National was the 
regular organ of the Banquets. The Reforme, however, 
a journal inspired by Ledru Rollin, denounced the Mod- 
erates, and held them up to the reprobation of the public. 
With extreme men, Thiers and Barrot were even more 
obnoxious than Guizot. From the ultra-conservatism of 
the latter, they expected some measure which would ex- 
cite the rage of the country ; from the gauche, they knew 
some little reform might be wrung, which would tempo- 
rarily tranquilize the country, and retard the coming of 
a revolution which they considered to be inevitable and 
desirable. 

About the 15th of October, the preparations for a 
Banquet at Cosne brought out the fact that Duchatel had, 



THE REFORM BANQUETS. 31 

by a circular, commanded the Prefects in every depart- 
ment to throw obstacles in the way of the popular meet- 
ings, and positively to refuse the use of any buildings 
which belonged to the municipalities. This was the first 
official hostile act of the cabinet against the agitation of 
the country, and had no other effect than to provoke a 
still greater amount of enthusiasm. 

It was about this time, that in Paris an impression got 
abroad that there was a revolutionary feeling in the 
people. The republicans began to look up ; they spoke 
with hope, and even with confidence ; the strength of the. 
Government was calculated ; and it was even then whis- 
pered that the National Guard would oppose no resistance 
to a popular movement. The army was never, in this case, 
counted as the slightest drawback. It was continually 
in my hearing said, " Louis Philippe has not three months 
to reio-n." Amono-st the working classes, who hitherto 
had counted on the King's death as the signal for insur- 
rection, there spread a feeling of which the police were 
perfectly aware by their spies, but which the Govern- 
ment turned a deaf ear to. 

" Cela ne pent pas dure?' comme ffl," was an expres- 
sion in the mouths of all classes ; and had the cabinet, 
instead of blindly obeying the monarch's behests, studied 
the temper of the people, they would have prepared for 
the opening of the session some startling liberal measure, 
or have resigned. Instead of this, M. Guizot at this very 
time was exasperating revolutionary France, by sending 
arms to the Sonderbund, a Jesuit faction arrayed against 
the Government, and which was as just as would have 
been a supply of arms from Birmingham to the Parisian 
democrats, or a consignment of muskets from Toulon to 
the Young Irelanders. 

At Melun, six hundred liberal electors met to fete 
M. Drouyn de I'Huys, who, for, a liberal vote, had been 
dismissed from office by M. Guizot. The banquet was 
equally in favour of Electoral Reform. M. Drouyn de 



§2 THE REFORM BANQtJETSs 

I'Huys said : " Do you wish that stagnant and corrupt 
waters shall be the fertile source of national representa» 
tion? Do you wish that certain electoral colleges may 
still be justly compared to cattle-markets ? You do not 
wish it," and you are right. To corrupt, they must buy : 
and it is the public treasure which pays these mercenary 
devotions. A portion of the revenue of the State, in- 
stead of fertilizing in open day the vast domain of public 
interests, filters away, and is lost in subterraneous caves. 
Hence these dilapidations, squanderings, and thefse clan- 
destine largesses, which are suppressed only vv^hen it is 
impossible any longer to hide them." 

Tlie same opinions were expressed at Charite, and 
in addition the warmest interest was manifested for the 
labouring classes. On the sam.e day, at Chartres, other 
men enunciated the same sentiments. The Ministry* 
slightly alarmed, replied by an effort to suppress the 
Lille Banquet. In vain, however. The committee, 
deprived of the immense locale they had asked of the 
Maire. had another place given to them by a private in- 
dividual. 

Another tack being now necessary, the solitary Con- 
servative journal undertook to throw disunion into the 
Liberal camp. It warned the Moderates against the 
consequences of an union with the Radicals. It stated 
that these latter Vv'ere seekins; to brins; about a revolution. 



which must be destructive to the less ultra-party. The 
organ t)f the constitutional opposition replied, that by 
signing petitions for Parliamentary Reform, the Repub- 
licans showed a disposition to gain their ends by pacific 
means. There can be no doubt that the democrats 
looked upon an extension of the suffrage, as only an 
instalment of universal voting, with which their views 
would have been carried out Avithout a physical force 
struggle. Barrot and his party would have been satis- 
fied with a moderate instalment of Reform. But as 
Leghimists, Liberals, and Radicals, all, for the time, 



THE REFORM BANQUETS. 33 

demanded the same measure, their union was perfectly 
comprehensible. The ultimate views of all three were 
different, but all were equally united in the desire to 
carry a particular measure. Had they succeeded, the 
monarchy would have been safe for several years. 

At Lille, a great banquet was prepared for the 7th of 
November. M. Odillon Barrot, Cremieux, and others of 
the moderatee liberals, were to be present. On arriving 
at Lille, they found that the majority of the members of 
the committee were declared Republicans. The gauche 
became alarmed, and proposed a toast pledging the 
meeting to the institutions of July. The committee 
refused to accept any thing which, by implication, in- 
cluded the King ; and the members of the Chambers, 
amonor the rest Cremieux, now one of the Provisional 
Government of the Republic, retired from the Banquet. 
Ledru-Rollin, however, remained and spoke. This split 
caused great excitement, and, at a later junction, had, no 
doubt, its due weight in keeping Barrot from being- 
elected a mxember of the Committee which now rules 
France. 

The Dijon Banquet was equally wholly radical, being 
attended by Ledru-Rollin, Flocon, a few priests, Na- 
tional Guards, and some four hundred tradesmen and 
artisans. This meeting was as severely treated by the 
opposition as by the Conservatives, for no one then was 
more really inimical to revolution than the gauche. 

Thus the agitation went on, each party looking at it 
with peculiar views. The Legitimists, who professed to 
believe that Universal Suffrage would bring back Henry 
v., were the most ultra in the Reform they demanded. 
The Abbe de Genoude never ceased to demand votes for 
every male above twenty-one, and to advise the people to 
refuse to pay taxes. The constitutional opposition de- 
manded a law by which all professional men should be 
declared electors, as well as all jurymen. The law, up 
to the Revolution, gave votes only to men above twenty. 



34 THE REFORM BANQUETS. 

five, paying £S sterling of direct taxation. The opposi- 
tion demanded a reducSon. The policy of the Radicals 
and Republicans was what their policy must be every 
where — to get, by hook or by crook, every possible in- 
stalment of Reform. 

I feel satisfied that a gradual extension of the suf- 
frage in France would also have gradually brought about 
the Republic ; for the people of that country are essen- 
tially democratic. Still, had the family which then 
reigned, and the ministers who supported them, been 
wise enough to give way to public opinion, and granted 
successive Reform, the Republicans would have bided 
their time, and whatever revolution came, it would have 
been pacific. 

Towards the end of November and the beo-innins; of 
December, the agitation had gained the utmost limits of 
France ; but towards the termination of the latter month 
it ceased, in expectation of the meeting of Parliament. 

To face the Legislature, composed of a compact 
majority of contented placemen, ministers, and personal 
friends of King and cabinet, there was an old King, who 
for eighteen years had succeeded every day in adding 
some link to the chain of power, with one son, the future 
regent ; another married to the heiress presumptive to 
the throne of Spain ; another Viceroy of Algeria ; ano- 
ther with a high position in the navy ; a daughter the 
wife of a neighbouring King ; in close alliance with the 
monarch of Austria, and ruling in Spain through his 
creatures ; with an army generalled and officered at his 
will ; a capital surrounded b}- the most extraordinary 
fortifications in the world, and commanded by eighteen 
detached forts ; a police the most perfect and extensive 
known to civilized society, and composed not only of 
constables, but of regiments of horse and foot ; — he seem- 
ed to occupy an impregnable position, from which nothing 
but the thunder of the Almighty could dislodge him ; a 
cabinet, headed by a great orator and historian, though 



THE KEFORM BANQUETS. 35 

an impracticable statesman, enjoying the friendship and 
support of its sovereign, and commanding a perfectly 
servile cohort of Deputies in the Chamber. 

The opposition was in itself weak, but in the errors 
of their opponents they were mighty ; for the cabinet of 
the 29th of October stood before the country convicted of 
corruption and servility ; of alliance with absolutism ; 
of opposing the liberal intentions of the Pope ; of conniv- 
ing with Jesuits to enslave Switzerland ; of impelling 
Ferdinand of Naples to resist the just demand of his 
subjects ; and, worse than all, of having, in their anxiety 
to curry favour with the dynasty, given way to every 
counter-revolutionary scheme of Louis Philippe. 

They were strong in the sympathy of the country, 
which had at length awoke from the apathy into which 
it had fallen in the pursuit of material wealth. 

Every thing promised a stormy session ; but there 
was every opportunity also, by a conciliatory line in the 
King's speech, and by a promise of Reform, to pacify 
the country. But both monarch and cabinet were blind ; . 
they depended wholly on their material power ; they 
despised utterly the grumbling middle classes, and angry 
people ; they treated warnings as mere babble and old 
women's tales ; while every observing man could see 
that France was on a volcano. 

The day of the opening of Parliament, the Revolu» 
tion was a necessity. 



36 THE OPENING OF 



CHAPTER III. 

THE Ol*ENING OF THE CHAMBEES. 

The last Session of the Parliament of the French 
monarchy was opened by King Louis Philippe in person, 
on the 28th of December, 1847. For some time previ- 
ous, the weather had been of the most gloomy and threat- 
ening description, and seemed somewhat to accord with 
the sentiments which had lately occupied the minds of 
a large poi:tion of the French people. All was anxiety 
to hear the King's speech, as it was expected that some 
notice would be taken of the various Banquets, whijh 
had been held in different parts of the provinces, for the 
purpose of obtaining the Electoral Reform, so much agi- 
tated for by the opposition. In fact, the tone of the min- 
isterial journals was threatening. On the 27th of De- 
cember, the Debats seemed to denote that strong measures 
vvould be taken to stay the Reform movement ; for it 
said, speaking of the agitation : " Marchez sur le fan- 
td?ne, il s^evanouira ; fui/ez, il grandira jusqiiau cieiy 
Like every thing in this journal, this is smart, but unfor- 
tunately it was not true. The state of the King's health 
also gave additional interest to the opening of the Ses- 
sion. An influenza of a severe and troublesome charac- 
ter — the well known grippe — had attacked a great por- 
tion of the Parisians, and reports were every where in 
circulation, that the King, already enfeebled by age and 
natural infirmity, had been much affected by the prevail- 
ing malady. It was even said, that did he proceed to 
the Chamber of Deputies, the state of his voice was such 



THE CHAMBERS, 37 

as to render il impossible for him to deliver the address 
which had been prepared. 

During the whole of the 28th5 the day was of a most 
disagreeable character. The previous dry, though 
gloomy weather, having been replaced by a slight fall of 
snow, which, melting as it fell, rendered the streets al- 
most impassable, caused the spectators of the King's pro- 
gress from the Tuileries to the Chamber of Deputies, to 
be much less numerous than on former occasions ; still 
there were very many of the people, the artisans, men 
who cared not for weather. Nothing was changed in 
the ordinary cortege. The right-hand side of the streets, 
from the Tuileries to the Chamber of Deputies, was 
lined, as usual, with National Guards ; and the left, by 
the regular troops. The presence of the King, who, no 
longer, as formerly, rode on horseback, was received 
with but few acclammations, the spectators seeming more 
occupied in defending themselves from the falling snow, 
than in welcoming his Majesty. Several, however, of 
the National Guard, cried, Vive la Reforme, as he 
passed ; but the prevailing influenza seemed to weigh 
heavily on every one's spirits, and silence was the chief 
characteristic of the scene. 

Precisely at one o'clock, the sound of the cannon of 
the Tnvalides, proclaimed that the King had left the Tuil- 
eries. 

The cortege proceeded in the following order : — 

A squadron of troops belonging to the garrison of 
Paris. A squadron of National Guards. 

Generals Carbonel and Perrot, attended by the staffs 
of the National Guard and the garrison. 

The King, with Lieutenant- General Jacqueminot on 
the right-hand side of his carriage, and Lieutenant- 
General Viscount Tiburce Sebastiani, Commander of the 
first military division, on the left. 

The carriage was surrounded by numerous officers of 

the King's household. 

4* 



38 THE OPENING OF 

The staff of the military division, and a great num- 
ber of general officers. 

A squadron of National Guards. 

Carriages containing the Marshal-General of France 
and the Marshals. 

Carriages containino; the officers belonginc; to the 
King's household and the Princes. 

In the Chamber, the throne was sumiounted by the 
national flag, and on the right and left of the King, 
chairs were placed for the Princes. 

The seats open to the public had been occupied 
since ten in the morning, the first rank being reserved 
for the ladies. About twelve, the Peers and Deputies 
began to arrive, and took their places, the former on the 
Kind's ricrht, and the latter on his left. 

The lower benches contained the members forming 
the deputations of the two chambers. 

At a quarter past twelve, the Marshal-General of 
France, Soult, the Marshals of France, among whom 
was Marshal Bugeaud, the deputations of the Legion of 
Honour and Council of State took their places in front of 
the throne. 

The Ambassadors and members of the corps diploma- 
tique occupied the seats usually assigned to them. 

The King's ministers : — M. Guizot, Minister of For- 
eign Affairs and President of the Council ; M. Hebert, 
Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice and Public 
Worship ; M. Duchatel, Minister of the Interior; Lieu- 
tenant-General Trezel, Minister of War; the Due de 
Montebello, Minister of Marine and the Colonies ; M. 
Dumon, Minister of Finance ; M. de Salvandy, Minis- 
ter of Public Instruction ; M. Cunin-Gridaine, Minister 
of Agriculture and Commerce ; M. Jaj-r, Minister of 
Public Works, took their platjes on the right and left of 
the throne. M. Duchatel looked fatigued and anxious, 
as did M. Hebert, but M. Guizot, as usual, showed the 
utmost nonchalance and confidence. Stronir in his 



THE CHAMBERS. 39 

talents, in his courage, in his position, he felt no fear. 
He was Prime Minister, and he, doubtless, expected to 
remain so for many years. 

Shortly before one o'clock, the Queen accompanied 
hy the Princesses entered and took their places on the 
seats reserved for them.. On entering, her Majesty was 
saluted with cries of Vive la Meine, chiefly proceeding 
from the ministerial benches. 

On the arrival of the King at the Chamber of Depu- 
ties, he was received by the deputations of the two Cham- 
bers, having at their head the Duke Pasquier, Chancellor 
of France, and M. Sapey, President, by seniority, of the 
Chamber of Deputies. 

The King, who, as usual, wore the uniform of Lieu- 
tenant-General of the National Guard, accompanied by 
his sons, the Due de Nemours, the Prince de Joinville. 
and the Due de Montpensier. entered the Chamber, pre- 
ceded by the deputations, and followed by the aides-de- 
camp and officers v^^ho had formed a part of the proces- 
sion. 

On entering, the King was saluted by cries of Vive le 
Rot, emanating from the Peers and satisfaits, while the 
principal members of the opposition were sombrely silent, 
for they knew what was coming. The monarch placed 
himself in front of his throne, having the Princes, his 
sons, on each side of him. 

The Generals and the officers of the King's household 
stood up behind the throne. There were but few Peers 
present. The number of Deputies was about three hun- 
dred. 

The king having desired the Peers and Deputies to 
be seated, put on his hat, and pronounced the speech. 
Those who listened to him, at once discovered that his 
health was affected, for his voice fell at times so much, 
as to be perfectly indistinct. He seemed to be, however, 
rather feeble than ill. Still, so intensely interesting was 
the speech, that all listened with charmed ears. I give 



40 THE OPENING OF 

it as a document of great_ moment in the History of the v 
Revolution. 

" Gentlemen, Peers, and Deputies, 
" I am happy, while finding myself again among^ 
you, to have no longer to deplore the calamities which 
the high prices of food have inflicted on our country, 
France has endured those calamities with a courage 
which I cannot contemplate without profound emotion. 
Never, under such circumstances, have public order and 
the freedom of transactions been so generally well main- 
tained. The inexhaustible zeal of private charity, has 
seconded our common efforts. Our commerce, owing to 
activity and prudence, has been but little affected by the 
crisis that has been felt in other states. We are reach- 
ing the end of these trials. Heaven has blessed the la- 
bours of the people, and abundant crops are reviving in 
■ all parts, both comfort and security. Let us congratu- 
late each other on this state of things. 

" I reckon on your co-operation in order to bring to a 
conclusion the great public works which by extending to 
the whole kingdom facility and regularity of communica- 
tion, must open fresh sources of prosperity ; and while 
sufficient m'eans will continue to be applied to such fruit- 
ful enterprises, we shall still take care that scrupulous 
economy and judicious employment of the public reve- 
nue be strictly observed. I am confident that the re- 
ceipts will cover the ordinary expenditure of the State, 
which shall shortly be laid before you. 

" A special Bill will be proposed to you for reducing 
the duty on salt, as well as a Bill for diminishing the pos- 
tage on letters to a degree compatible with the state of 
our finances. 

" Bills relating to public instruction, prison discipline, 
and the customs' tariff, have already been submitted to 
your deliberations. Other Bills on various important 
subjects shall be laid before you, particularly regarding 



THE CHAMBEKS. 41 

communal property, mortgages, monfs de piele, and the 
application of savings' banks to fresh improvements in 
the condition of the working classes. It is my constant 
wish that my Government should labour, with your co- 
operation, in the development both of the prosperity and 
morality of the people. 

" My relations with all foreign pov/ers give me confi- 
dence that the peace of the world is secure. I hope that 
the general progress of civilization will every where pro- 
ceed to its accomplishment through an accordance be- 
tween governments and people, without impairing inter- 
nal order, and the good relations established among 
States. 

" Civil war has disturbed the happiness of Switzer- 
land. My Government had come to an understanding 
with the Governments of England, Austria, Prussia and 
Russia, in order to offer that neighbouring and friendly 
people an amicable mediation. Switzerland will, I hopCj 
acknowledge that respect for the rights of all, and the 
maintenance of the basis of the Helvetic Confederation, 
can alone ensure to her those enduring conditions of hap- 
piness and security which Europe wished to guarantee to 
her by treaties. 

^' My Government, in accordance with that of the 
Queen of Great Britain, has just adopted measures which 
must at length succeed in restoring our commercial rela- 
tions on the banks of the La Plata. 

'' The illustrious chief who so long and so gloriously 
commanded in Algeria havincr desired to rest from his 
labours, I have intrusted to my beloved son, the Due 
d'Aumale, the great and glorious task of governing that 
French land. I flatter myself that, under the direction 
of my Government, and thanks to the labours and cour- 
age of the genei'ous army that surrounds him, his vigi- 
lance and devotedness will secure the tranquillity, the 
good administration, and prosperity of our establishment. 

" Gentiemenj the more 1 advance in life, the more I 



42 THE OPENING OF 

dedicate with devotedness to the service of France, to 
the care of her interests, her dignity and happiness, all' 
the activity and all the strength that God has given, and 
still vouchsafes to me. Amidst the agitation that hostili- 
ty and blind passions foment, one conviction animates 
and supports me, which is this, that we possess in the 
constitutional monarchy, in the union of the great pow- 
ers of the State, sure means of overcoming all those obsta- 
cles and of satisfying all interests, moral and material. 
Let us firmly maintain, according to the charter, social 
order and all its conditions. Let us guarantee, accord- 
ing to the charter, the public liberties with all their de- 
velopments. We shall transmit to the generations to 
come after us the trust confided to us, and they will bless 
us for having founded and defended the edifice under 
shelter of which they live happy and free." 

On the conclusion of the above speech, the King was 
again saluted by cries of Vive le JRoi, proceeding from 
the same quarter. The Keeper of the Seals then de- 
clared the two Chambers as formally opened for the 
Session of 18-48, on which the King rose up, and saluting 
the assembly, retired, attended by his various officers. 

The cortege then proceeded towards the Tuileries, 
between the lines formed by the National Guards and 
the regular troops. 

The following remarks of a I'eporter will remain as 
an historical picture, in connection with a subsequent 
scene. " It was remarked, that the carriage of the 
Duchess of Orleans remained some time after the depar- 
ture of the King, and was surrounded by a number of 
Deputies, who approached lo salute the Princess and the 
young Comte de Paris. It was remarked that four fold- 
ing-chairs had been placed near the throne. One of 
these, it was said, was intended for the young Prince ; 
but the Duchess of Orleans requested that for one year 
more he should not figure officially in the ceremony*" 



THE CHABIBERS. 43 

In half an hour after the Seance Royale had taken 
place, the speech was scattered over all Paris, and one 
feeling alone prevailed, that of indignation, sorrow, and 
regret, not unmixed with alarm. It was, as the reader 
will have observed, insignificant in every part but one, 
and that was in connection with the Reform Banquets. 
The paragraph which characterized them as the result 
of blind and hostile passion, produced at once a fall in 
the funds. The speculators seemed to foresee the fatal 
result of this defiance, thrown in the teeth of more than 
a hundred deputies, of tens of thousands of the electors, 
and other leading men in every department of France. 
Many observed how ill this came from an old King with 
one foot in the grave, v/ho thus ensured, at all events, 
the opposition of a powerful minority against his person. 
As was at the time remarked, the Monarch thus really 
addressed a large body of legislators — " You are factious 
men who wish to overthrow my throne, or fools who 
know not what you do." 

In fact, what could be more insensate than this para- 
graph of a Royal speech, which included, in one sweep- 
ing charge, a number of men, who, in the course of 
reason, might be expected at some time to be Ministers. 
Every reflecting man began from that day to think of 
revolution, all the ultras rejoiced, for now they knew 
that the people would at last become exasperated. The 
cabinet was on a false path, and it was probable it would 
persevere. Barrot, Thiers, and their party shook their 
heads, and regretted an act, which, in the face of day, 
made the King the leader of a party, denouncing as fac- 
tious and inimical all v/ho differed from him. 

The very next day, M. Sauzet was elected President 
of the Chamber by 227 votes against 132, while the 
Dehats, instead of excusing the imprudent language put 
in a King's mouth by ministers utterly ignorant of the 
state of feeling in the country, lavished additional abuse 
on the great Reform Banquets of Rouen and Grenoble. 



44 THE OPENI^'G OF 

All those who alluded to "the persuasive influence of 
the Crown," or who touched on the inviolability of the 
King, which had been forfeited by his taking an open 
part in affairs, were called Montagnards, while as one 
wittily said, M. Thiers was almost accused of regicide 
on the same account. 

On discovering the storm of indignation which the 
speech called forth, the Cabinet evidently became alarmed, 
as was seen by the fury displayed in the articles of the 
two ministerial journals against those who would not 
quietly submit to the indignities poured upon them. In 
the midst of the tumult and excitement caused by this 
affair, on the last day of the year, died Madame Ade- 
laide, the King's sister, friend, and counsellor, one who 
was supposed to have been his wisest adviser. As it 
happened, this aged princess departed in time to avoid 
witnessing the misfortunes which have been brought upon 
her house by the ill-judged and ill-managed proceedings 
of the Monarch, and those whose servility made them 
obey his commands. These words are hard, but truth 
above all things, and in justice to the French people, who 
rose against oppression, those whom they chastised must 
be truly characterized. 

The very next day, the first of the year 1848, it be- 
came known in Paris that Abd-el-Kader was taken, as if 
the French Government had every chance of attending 
to home affairs thrown in their way. But the Emir once 
captured. Ministers devoted themselves rather to crusli- 
ing their rivals than to attending to the great interests of 
the country. The organ of the ministry went so far in 
its identification of Louis Philippe with the Conservatives, 
as seriously to demand why the King should not be the 
chief of his own party. Nothing more clear than this 
avowal, that the Monarch was at the head of a faction, 
composed of a reactionary, counter-revolutionary ma- 
jority in a Chamber, elected from a small body of men 
called the legal country, and consisting of placemen. 



TfiE CHAMBERS, 45 

DeScit too, that fiatal word which caused so many of the 
evils of the old revolution, could nol; be concealed. The 
budget, bolstered up by r'liinous loans and encumbered 
by a gigantic floating debt, startled theicountry. Trades- 
men began to ask how the State could justly be allowed 
to drain the land, when flimine, want, and stagnation of 
■commerce had produced so much misery. 

A trial for adultery, in which a irusband, M. Petit, 
v/as accused of having connived at his wife's dishonour 
to obtain a place, brought out the fact that he had bought 
it with the knowledge of M. Lacave-Laplagne and M. 
Oui7.ot, An inquiry betrayed a shameless system of traf- 
ficking in public offices, which made ministers introduce 
a law, declaring such transactions henceforth illegal. 

The siispensien of Michelet, as professor, for some 
libera! doctrines put forth by his auditors, added, in the 
beginning of January, to the odium already acquired by 
the suspension of Quit?et and Mierolawiski, and caused 
an excessive ferment in the minds of the students, who 
fought almost to a man, during the three days. The 
dismissal of M. Chevalier from the Debats, by order of 
Ministers, for writing a letter of c3ndo?ence to Michelet, 
waslmolher 'peAiy and iri'itating act of tyranny. 

On the 10th, the discussion on the address, in answer 
to the speech from the ihrotie, hega^ iu the Chamber of 
Peers. Count d' Alton Shee denounced, in the most un- 
qualified manner, the hostility of the Ministry to liberty, 
while he equally exposed their connivance every where 
with absolutism. The breaking up of the English al- 
liance to gain the futile victory of the Spanish marriages 
was not forgotten, A Conservative, M. Mesnard, equally 
warded Ministers against the false road upon which they 
bad entered, but the Cabinet was silent. 

The next day, the discussion was resumed, and M. 
de Boissy charged Ministers with using the money of a 
public charity to procure the election of Richond de 
Brus, of unjustly persecuting Warnery, and then alluded 

5 



46 THE CHAIyrBEIiS". 

to the notoTfeiis dissaffection of the National Guard^s^ 
whom the Government dared not call out to a review for 
fear of hearing loud cries of Vhe Ja Refonne ! so in^ 
tense was public? discontent, M. Guizci defended the 
purchase of place by Petit, on the ground of the anti- 
quity of the praetice. 

The next day he defended bis eondtrct towards Italy^ 
and in the midst of much that was talented ^ put forth 
doctrines wholly inimieal to the progress of Irbeialism in 
that country. He still professed so mach admiration for 
the Pope, that he was compelled to give way, and allow 
a paragraph to be inserted, expressing sympathy with his- 
endeavours. 

Just as the debate was closed in the Chamber of 
Peers, of course triuFflphantly for Ministers, an incident 
occurred which, at the time treated as of no very great 
impoitance, was doomed to revolutionize France, over- 
throw a powerful monarchy, and establish in the heart of 
Europe a vast Republic. The twelfth arrondissement of 
Paris, after several preliminary meetings, had agreed to 
hold, on the 19th January, a Banquet, under the pi'esi- 
dence of M. Boissel, deputy, and which was expected to 
be attended by a large body of opposition Deputies. Six 
hundred persons had signed their names as wishing to be 
present, when the Cabinet received notice of the projected 
demonstration. It met, and in an evil hour determined 
to interfere, after allowing more than sixty Banquets to 
lake place in different quarters of France during the four 
previous months. 

On the 14th of January, 1848, the stewards of the 
intended manifestation received notice from Joseph Ga- 
briel Callomp, Commissary of Police, acting in the name 
of the Prefect of that department, that the'ir solicitation 
for permission to hold a Banquet was refused. The 
stewards replied, that they had never solicited permis^ 
sion, that the laws of 1831 and 1834 were directed 
against associations, but were powerless against separate 



THE CHAIVIBEKS. 47 

fHeetings, and that they intended to treat the interference 
of the police with contempt. 

This act of the Ooveroment created a perfect stupe- 
faction. I wrote to a friend immediately, in Scotland, 
that we were on the brink of revolution, so serious did I 
at the time consider this proceeding. It was, with jus- 
tice, regarded as a CGup d^etai. The Government at- 
tempted no concealment of the part they had taken in the 
affair. Count d' Alton Shee having risen in the Cham- 
ber of Peers toquest^ion the Cabinet on the point, M. Du- 
chatel made the following reply, which at once pointed 
out the daring policy which Ministers were about to try 
<as an experiment an the French people. He said : 

" I will anrwer very clearly. The Government be- 
lieves itself possessed of a right to prohibit the Banquets 
like every other political meeting; and it believes itself 
possessed of this right in virtue of the Police Laws, and 
particularly that of 1780. The Government has often 
made use of this right, for example, in. 1841. If Ban- 
quets have taken place this year, it is because Govern- 
ment tolerated them. In 1841, I thought that the Ban- 
quets might be imcon^srement, and / prohibited t^ern. 1 
-did not think the «ame of the Banquets of 1847, and for 
this reason they were, I repeat, tolerated. As to the 
Sanqiiet of the I2\h €irrondissemeni, it was not of his own 
accord that the Prefect of Police prohibited it, but by my 
©rders. It appeared to me that this Banquet might be 
productive of serious inconvenience, and /interdicted it." 

This speech, egotlstk^al, irritating, full of the spirit of 
the most intolerable despotism, was productive of exten- 
sive escitement. The people began to see that the few 
liberties which remained to them might be thus explained 
away at the will of a power fell minister, for the law was 
<3istinet. In France, associations, and meetings of asso- 
ciations, were illegal, but there was no act which pre- 
vented the assembling in public meetings for a specific 
gjurpose^ wiien held on premises belonging to a private 



48 THE CHAMBERS'. 

individual. The Police Act of 1790 was against crowds 
collecting in the streets, mid relative to the maintenance 
of order at nocturnal meetings, theatres^ cafes, and 
churches. The prohibition of the Banquets was clearly?- 
therefore, unjustified by iaw^ and the Ministry at once- 
made illegal resistance the order of the day. 

The ferment of men's minds was so great, on the- 
20th January, that the Dehats took alarm, and m a most 
lugubrious article^ spoke of the anarchical stale o-f public- 
feeling, of the secret union of the Socialists, and all 
caused by the Reform .agitation^ It was reported that 
the Reform Banquet would take place despite the prohi- 
bition ; this, coupled with the arrival of reinforcements 
for the garrison of Paris, spread an uneasy feeling, which_ 
never abated until the revolution was accomplished. On 
that very day, a leading republican said to me, Sn answer 
to my question, " Will the Banquet take place ?" — " Vous 
ne verrez pas le Banquet, mais vous verrez autre chose J^ 
" You will not see the Banquet, but you will see some- 
thing else." 

In the Chamber of Beputies, Guizot m the meantime 
was vainly defending himself from the charge of cor- 
ruption brought against him in relation to the affaire 
Petit; but the majority still remained faithful to him,, 
and he kept his phalanx together pretty well, though- 
some ConscrvatiYes deserted him on the division. 

On the 24th, the commissaries of the Banquet put>- 
lished an announcement to the effect, that the meeting 
would take place, and that in a few days the place of 
assembly would be annc-uneed. They emphatically 
pledged themselves to bring the question of legality tc= 
an issue. The struggle was no-w begun. A cabinety 
confident in the power of a monarchy which had been 
consolidating itself for eigbteea years, after allowing 
upwards of seventy political meetings in denunciation of 
their policy to take place,. determiBed^ for some inexplica- 
ble reason, to use force against a meeting in Paris, where 



THE CHAMBERS. ^ 49 

€i^lsted all those inflammable materials, which, set in 
action, are always so dangerous to governments. No 
warning was of any avail, and the friends of insurrection, 
flow sure of a rallying cry, began to make silent pre- 
parations for action. There were committees sitting 
nightly in various quarters of the town, men spoke of 
what form of o-overnrrient should be substituted for that 
which they were about to overihrow, for none who were 
willifig or ansious to risk their lives in a street move- 
ment, did so with any wish to hare Th'iers for Guizot, or 
Barrot for Duchatel, but to overthrow utterly the dynasty 
^and it-s systen^. 

Those who ^read -the Reforme and National carefully, 
fnight have noticed an air of confidence in their articles, 
which few thought justiied by the situation.* But they 
were well aware that the storm was rising, and bided 
but its tin^e to appear on the hori^ion. The revolution- 
ary malaria was a'^oat on the air, and well informed 
wealthy famiiies demanded their passports, and supplied 
themselves with gold.. 

Thus ended the month of J'anuary, amid alarm, un- 
'Sasiness, anxiety on all sides, save apparently with Minis- 
ters, wh®, day after day, and hoitr after hour, during the 
•interminable disc^vassion of the address, laboured to defend 
their policy, confoiind tt^eir adversaries, and gain credit 
for being great statesmen tind g#od patriots. How far 
they siiceeeded will be seeis. 

* As a positive {?ro©f of iiov/ clear was tke state of things in Paris 
.^o all wfeo ehose to see, before tke events -of the 23rd and 24th., I 
wrote on the i.5th of February .to the editor <?f the North British 
Daily Mail, v/ho published my w/ords on the 18th.—" In my opinion 
-we are approaching a revolution. You may expect a flight like that 
of Charles X., a disappearance of ministers, a provisional government, 
a^d a S^i'xi^blic." What I knew.^ minister might have known. 



50 PREPARATIONS FC^ 



CHAPTER IV". 

FEBRUARY SITTINGS OF THE CHAMBEKS PREFAEATIONS^ 

FOR THE &REAT REFORM BANQUET. 

On the 7ih of Febraa-ry the discas=>ioH commencecl 
on the paragraph of the address relative to the Refornn 
Banquets. The Cham.be? was unusaally crowded, both 
by members, and bj an ar^dieace connposed in great parS 
of ladies. 

The public were ciifiot?s^- anxious, full of earnest de- 
sire to witness the two parties in presence &n this- delicate 
point. The opposition were grave, even bitter, while the- 
ministers, though afTeeting the most prodigioiii5 amoun-ls 
of indifference, were very far from feeling any SMch sen- 
timent. Their faces bore tlie rmprint o-f eare and fatigue, 
and when, after one or two insigniS^ant oratioas, M. Du- 
vergier de Hauranoe rose, their discomfort was mani- 
fest. Nor did he spare them. Caustic, severe, hM elear^ 
he placed the cabinet in the Mio&t mnfavourable light be- 
fore the public, Btvt what had mast effect, was his state- 
ment with regard to the Reform Banquet of the 12th ar- 
rondissement. It became evident, from his words, that 
the whole oppositio^i were about to unite in forcing the- 
ministry to retreat or commit a gross act of violence. M. 
Du vergier de Hauranne said, in a tone which left no 
doubt that he spoke for others as weM as himself, " That 
he, for one, was ready to assouiate hi'mself with those^ 
who, by a bold act of legal resistanse, would try the 
question, if a simple police decree was to confiscate the 
most sacred rights of free men.'" 



THE EEFORM BANQUET. 51 

On the 9th, Barret spoke in the same tone, while Le- 
dru-RoIlin, with that boldness which always character- 
ized him, showed the futility of the Charie of 1830. He 
sketched all the Banquets which had taken place since 
the Restoration, and in one place seemed as if he meant 
to be prophetic. " At a later date, there was the Ban- 
quet of the Socieie aide ioi le del faidera, a society with 
which M. Guizot was so mixed up. The King's health 
was drank there, and two months after, King Charles X. 
was on his road to Cherbourg." He afterwards added, 
" before you make an appeal to the country, make an 
appeal to your consciences, for if it happens that blood be 
shed, it is upon your head that will fall the blame." 

Hebert replied, " that, thank God, it was not a ques- 
tion of calling out of battalions, and that the law would 
be amply sufficient to defend Ministers against a2;gres- 
sion." 

It was about this same date that the Deputies of the 
opposition, convinced that, if the people were vanquished 
in this struggle, there v/ould be an end of all hope of 
progress in France for years, determined to take a bold 
stand at their head in favour of that right of public meet- 
ing, which is the soul of a free country. This decision 
€>t the 10th of February began a great struggle, intended 
to be pacific, and which might havc been so, had the 
ministers been keenly alive to the signs of the times. 
The example of England, where public meetings have 
been long the safety valve of the constitution, was con- 
tinually quoted. 

But the general impression, out of the narrow circle 
of statesmen and their friends, was, even as early as the 
10th of February, that there would be a physical strug- 
gle ; the National Guard began to have meetings, and to 
discuss the course to be pursued in case the Banquet led 
to a collision. 1 knew, on the 12th, that the officers of a 
certain legion had advocated marching to the Flotel de 
Yille, proclaiming a Provisional Governmentj and de- 



52 PREPARATIONS FOR 

throning Louis Philippe. But if those in power, by their 
numerous spies, were as wise as I was; they totally 
laughed at the statement, and passed on their way re- 
joicing. 

. The two hundred thousand signatures to petitions for 
Reform were equally disregarded, and on the 11th, the 
majority of the Chamber, as was then said, entered on a 
revolutionary era, by voting the paragragh of the ad- 
dress, which severely censured a party of more than a 
hundred in the legislature. Two hundred and eighty- 
eight against one hundred and eighty-three rejected a con- 
ciliator5' ameridment, and the Liberals were only the 
more decided in their intentions of resistance. They 
felt that their very existence, as political men, was at 
stake, and many proposed resigning and appealing to the 
country, a course which Emile de Girardin strongly re- 
commended, and enforced by his example. 

On the 13th, a meeting; of more than a hundred 
Deputies took place to decide on what line of conduct 
should be taken v/ith regard to the position in which they 
were placed by the vote of the address. Their first 
occupation was to examine their political situations, and 
it was unanimously decided, that the vote of the majority 
was a flao-rant and audacious violation of the riohts of 
the minority, and that the ministry had induced its party 
to disavow the most sacred principles of the constitution, 
and had invaded in the person of their representatives, 
the most essential rights of citizens ; they further stated, 
that a ministerial act had thrown the whole country into 
all the ferments of division and disorder. Under these 
circumstances, it appeared that their duty became grave, 
imperious, and that they were essentially required to re- 
main at their post, to survey and incessantly combat the 
counter-revolutionary policy of the men at the head of 
public affairs. 

As to the right of meeting, which the cabinet had de- 
cided was wholly dependent on the will of the Executive, 



THE KEFOKM BitNQ.UET. 53 

the meeting, with a unanimity rarely observable io 
France, were of opinion that this right, inherent, in 
every free country, was also firmly recognized by the 
lawsy and resolved accordingly to maintain it intact by 
every legal and constitutional means in their power. 
The result of this resolntion was the formation of a 
commission chartjed to come to an understandinsf with 
the electors of Paris, and to regulate m concert with 
them, the assistance which the Deputies were to give to 
the Banquet, which was to be got up as a protestation 
against the pretensions of an arbitrary Government. 

Another decision taken by this meeting, aod severely 
felt by the King, was, that not one member of the oppo- 
sition, even those selected by lot, should go up with the 
deputation which was to present the address. 

On the 15th and 16th, the public journals in their 
leaders, showed evident signs of anxiety and disquietude. 
The Dehats sought to alarm the shop keepers by dwell- 
ing on the probability of a collision in the streets, which 
would bring about a commercial crisis. The opposition 
replied by throwing all the blame on the men, who, by 
prohibiting a public meeting, had forced them to enter 
upon a kind of agitation they much regretted. In fact, 
had not the Ministry interfered to prevent the Banquet 
of the 12th arrondissemejit, it was the intention of the op- 
position to have recommended its postponement until the 
summer, when, towards the close of the Session, the 
system of public meetings was to have been renewed. 

A sentence was much quoted at the time, and with 
reason. It is remarkable as showing how men can seOj 
when not individually interested, clearly enough the im- 
policy of certain acts. It was an extract from a letter 
writien in 1804, and on the 28th of July, by the theo 
Duke of Orleans to the Bishop of Llandaff, " Reforms 
granted in time are always without danger ; but resist- 
ance to reforms ends too often by revolution." 

On the 15thj an article in the Keforme should have 



54 PBEPAEATIONS POE. 

opened the eyes of the blindest to the nature of the cri- 
sis. It said : '• No man meets another but to enumerate 
the bombs, the quarts of powder and brandy, the bundles 
of hatchets, and the caissons of cartridges, which are 
being distributed to the garrison If the opposi- 
tion be faithful in its conduct to the doctrines it has pro- 
fessed ; if, adding civil courage to probity of language, 
it forces the police to put their hands on its mouth ; if 
the violation of right be consummated on parliamentary 
persona^res, v.'hat will happen ? What will the Deputies 
do ? What will the National Guard do ? What will 
the Government do ? Such are the problems which 
agitate every corner of Paris ; and, to speak the truth, 
we must say the bourgeoisie seem very irritated. These 
grave symptoms we narrate with pleasure — they do 
honour to Paris."' 

The Presse equally considered that the struggle 
would end in violence, and attacked the Ministers for 
provoking, the opposition for continuing the contest. The 
Ministry themselves were now clearly undecided what 
part to take : the excitement was too real to be denied, 
and yet to yield a jot was to be vanquished. They con- 
tented themselves with briuo-ino; men. cannon and am- 
munition to Paris, w-hile their organs sought to reason the 
opposition out of attending the Banquet, which it gravely 
assured them would let loose insurrection upon the land. 

Now was the time for a great act of wisdom on the 
part of the King and Guizot. The Banquet was to be 
prevented only in one day, without danger to the public 
peace. Had Louis Philippe and his cabinet, with a 
good grace, come down to the Chamber with a generous 
and large measure of Reform, the moderate opposition, 
which wanted nothing more than an excuse, would have 
withdrawn from a demonstration, the result of which 
they themselves held to be dreadful. 

But nothing of the kind happened : the Ministers, on 
the contrarj', made immense military preparations. Fifty 



THS EEfOEM BANQITET. 5© 

■cartridges were given to every one of the Municipal 
Guard and soldiers of the line j the eannon at Yincennes 
was put in preparation for active service ; the armourers'^ 
shops were visited, and their arms taken to pieces ; carts 
of ammunition passed at night through Paris for the- 
different forts and posts, the garrisons of which were 
doubled. A most suspicious measure, and one which 
caused much irritation among the people, was the disap- 
pearance of a large quantity of National Guard uniforms' 
from the shops, bought up, it was said, to dress a false 
National Guard in case of emergency. 

The ^Ministry now changed their ground, and, by 
their organs, declared that they did not deny the right of 
the people to meet on certain occasions, but contended 
that it was still in the power of the Executive to pro- 
hibit any particular demonstration which they thought 
might be detrimental to the public peace. 

On the 16lh, a rumour was current among the troops 
that the Ministry meant only to prevent the law being 
outraged by a seditious Banquet taking place, and this 
event once over, they intended to resign. It was, of 
course, supposed ihat the soldiers were to be tempted to 
resist the people by this bait held out to them. 

However this may be, still more menacing prepara- 
tions were made ; the garrison was increased to eighty 
thousand men, while as many more were so stationed as 
to be ready to pour upon Paris by the railways at a few 
hours' notice. Still not a pair of red breeches was seen 
in the street, the troops being strictly confined to their 
barracks, to prevent their conferring with their friends 
out of doors. Hatchets, pickaxes, and shovels, and other 
instruments suited to the demolition of barricades, were 
amply distributed ; and this fact made known, was 
the signal for other preparations on the part of the 
people. 

In the Chamber, on the 16th, a discussion took place 
relative to the cannon in the forts, when a Government 



56 PREPARATIONS FOR 

official denied the presence of any cannon save at Vin- 
cennes, which was a depot, and declared, amid ironical 
laughter and cheers, that many of those in that place 
were destined for the National Guard, a body which had 
long since been studiously deprived of artillery. 

On the 17th, it became known that the Banquet an- 
flounced for Sunday, the 20th, was adjourned until 
Tuesday, the 22d. Various reasons were given for this 
-chaniTp. The cGnwdssaires of the Banquet spoke of the 
difficulty of finding a fitting locality ; the Radicals cried 
out that the Deputies were afraid of the crowds of work- 
ing men who would assemble on Sunday upon such an 
occasion. Meanwhile, the Due d'Harcourt, the Marquis 
de Boissy, and Count d'Alton Shee, all peers of France, 
signified their intention of being present, while, from 
every surrounding town, deputations were announced. 
All France was in emotion, for a great principle was to 
be consecrated. 

The publication of an order, signed by the Due de 
Montpensier, for the transportation to Paris of two bat- 
teries of field artillery, with full caissoiis, of twenty full 
caii'sons of infantry ammunition, of three hundred boxes 
ot grape-shot, caused excessive exasperation. It was 
denied, and the order was said to be a forgery; but this 
no man believed, for all knew that the cabinet would do 
its utmost to preserve power. It was whispered, too, 
that Bugeaud, the i^lgerian soldier, the hero of so many 
a razzia and bloody affair, was to command the troops 
durirg the excitement. 

On the 19th, the Deputies of the opposition decided 
that, to make the Banquet the miore striking, as a protes- 
tation against the gross violation of liberty of which min- 
isters had been guilty, they should meet and proceed to 
the place of festivity in procession. The same day, it 
is said a portion of the moderate Conservative party, 
alarmed at the increasing eflfervescence of the public 
mind, met, and after a lengthened discussion, agreed to 



THE REFORM BANQUET. 57 

make an offer to the opposition • it was to withdraw their 
support from Guizot, and vote with Thiers, so as to 
throw out the ministry, on condition that the Banquet 
Were -given up. Many of the gauche, particularly the 
section who cared merely for office, would willingly 
have accepted the transaction ; but Guizot and Ducha- 
tel, having pledged themselves to keep all quiet on the 
Tuesday, the King would not give way to the wish of a 
deputation, which impressed upon him the desirableness 
of a change of cabinet. 

Meantime, while Europe was on the eve of a convul- 
sion, while the volcano was under their feet, while Italy 
was heaving and swelling witli liberal fever, while Sicily 
was in open insurrection, the Chamber of Deputies was 
debating a trivial law relative to modifications to be in- 
troduced into the electoral circumscriptions for the nomi- 
nation of members of the Council General of the Loire. 
The fact was, the French representative system was 
wholly rotten. The Chambers were either entirely in- 
capable of business, or unwilling to do any. The Ses- 
sion opened on the 28th of December, and the discussion 
on the Address took nearly to the end of January — with 
us the work of a niijht. The members seemed lo think 
a sitting of a couple of hours' duration in the afternoon 
a hardship. Not a man of them but was always in a 
hurry to get away. The fact, that only one speaker, 
except he were a very leading man, was ever listened 
to with patience, showed the caducity of the system. 

Instead of, like the National Convention, Constituent 
Assembly, and other French Parliaments, meeting at six 
in the morning and sitting until midnight, to discuss the 
interests of the nation, the Deputies of a vast empire like 
France seemed to make the Chamber a before-dinner 
lounge to give them a zest for the opera, ball, or party of 
the evening. In a Session of six months, the business of 
a week in the English House of Commons, was not got 
through. In fact, of late, the French Parliament ap- 

6 



58 THE EEFORM BANQUET. 

peared lo meet only because the Charter directed it, and 
to witness the exciting and gladiatorial combats of par- 
ties. Of hours spent in debating laws for the ameliora- 
tion of the physical, social, or moral condition of the 
masses, no one ever heard ; while if it were required to 
vote a dot or apanage for the royal family, or to carry 
out a royal freak like that of the Chapter of St. Denis, 
too much time could not be devoted. In fact, the House 
of Commons sitting in Paris up to the 24th of February, 
1848, were the mere servants of the Crow^n, playing at 
Parliament to deceive and pacify the people. 

Of the peers, it is needless to speak, as their willing- 
ness to support the creatures of the monarch, no matter 
of what party, is notorious. Their insulting interruption 
of M. de Boissy, because he dared remind them of the 
great deeds done for France by the National Convention, 
showed the spirit which animated them. Composed of 
generals, lawyers, literary men, chiefly the personal 
friends of Louis Philippe, their political action was null. 
They seemed a living personification of the fact, that the 
day of aristocracy is past, and that Upper Houses are 
mere phantoms, kept, like constitutional Kings and 
Queens, more for ornament than use. 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 59 



CHAPTER V. 

SUNDAY AND MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 

Sunday, a dismal and rainy day, caused every one 
favourable to the liberal cause to rejoice that the Ban- 
quet had been adjourned to the Tuesday. Still very 
many people walked about Paris, anxious to pick up any 
scraps of information on the one exciting topic of the 
day. The opposition held a meeting in the morning, at 
which the following announcement was agreed upon. 
As one or two paragraphs in it were made the excuse for 
prohibiting the Banquet, I give it entire, as it was pub- 
lished in all the papers of Sunday evening and Monday 
morning. 

" The general committee charged to organize the 
Banquet of the 12th arrondissement, thinks it right to 
state that the object of the demonstration fixed for Tues- 
day, is the legal and pacific exercise of a constitutional 
right, the right of holding political meetings, without 
which representative government would only be a sub- 
ject of derision. 

" The Ministry having declared and maintained at 
the tribune that this right is subject to the good pleasure 
of the police. Deputies of the Opposition, Peers of 
France, ex-deputies, members of the Conseil-General, 
magistrates, officers, sub-officers, and soldiers of the 
National Guard, members of the central committee of 
electors of the Opposition, and editors of newspapers of 
Paris, have accepted the invitation which was made to 
take part in the demonstratioUj in order to protest, in 



60 SUNDAY AND MONDAY, 

virtue (jf the law, against an illegal and arbitrary pre- 
tension. 

" As it is natural to foresee that this public protest 
may attract a considerable gathering of citizens, as it 
may be assumed also that the National Guards of Paris, 
faithful to their motto — ' Liberie, Ordre Public,' will 
desire on this occasion to accomplish the double duty of 
defending liberty by joining the demonstration, and pro- 
tecting order and preventing all collision by their pre- 
sence ; and as, in the expectation of a numerous meeting 
of National Guards and citizens, it seems right to take 
measures for preventing every cause of trouble and 
tumult, 

" The committee has thou5ht that the demonstration 
should take place in that quarter of the capital in which 
the width of the streets and squares enables the popula- 
tion to assemble without excessive crowdino;. 

" Accordingly, the Deputies, Peers of France, and 
other persons invited to the Banquet, will assemble on 
Tuesday next, at eleven o'clock in the ordinary place of 
the meeting of the Parliamentary Opposition, Place de 
la Madeleine. 

" The subscribers to the Banquet who belong to the 
National Guard, are requested to meet before the Church 
of the Madeleine, and to form two parallel lines, between 
which the persons invited will place themselves. 

" The cortege will be headed by the superior officers 
of the National Guard who may present themselves to 
join the demonstration. 

" Immediately after the persons invited and the 
guests, will be placed a rank of officers of the National 
Guard. 

" Behind the latter, the National Guards, formed in 
columns, according to the number of the legions. 

" Between the third and fourth columns, the young 
men of the schools, headed by persons chosen by them- 
selves. 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 61 

" Next, the other National Guards of Paris and the 
suburbs, in the order set forth above. 

" The cortege will leave at half-past eleven o'clock, 
and will proceed by the Place de la Concorde and the 
Champs Elysees to the place in which the Banquet is to 
take place. 

" The committee, convinced that this demonstration 
will be the more efficacious the more it is calm, and the 
more imposing the more it shall avoid even all pretext to 
conflict, requests the citizens to utter no cry, to carry 
neither flag nor exterior sign : it requests the National 
Guards who may take part in the demonstration, to pre- 
sent themselves without arms ; for it is desired to make 
a legal and pacific protest, which must be especially 
powerful by the number and the firm and tranquil atti- 
tudes of the citizens. 

" The committee hopes that upon this occasion, every 
man present will consider himself as a functionary 
charged to cause order to be respected. It trusts in the 
presence of the National Guard ; it trusts in the senti- 
ments of the Parisian population, which desires public 
peace with liberty, and which knows that to secure the 
maintenance of its rights, it has only need of peaceable 
demonstration, as becomes an intelligent and enlightened 
nation, which has the consciousness of the irresistible au- 
thority of its moral power, and which is assured that it 
will cause its legitimate wishes to prevail by the legal 
and calm expression of its opinion." 

This manifesto was bold, even audacious ; for the op- 
position took upon themselves, in some measure, to call 
out the National Guard. The Radicals were delighted ; 
and the Riforme, representing Ledru-Rollin, called on 
all their friends to be present. The anxiety during Sun- 
day was very great. Many asserted that troops would 
on Tuesday morning close up the Champs Elysees and 
the locality of the Banquet near Chaillot, and allow none 
but Peers and Deputies, who are inviolable, to pass. Others 

6* 



62 SUXDAY A>-D 3I0XDAY, 

said that the GoverDiiient would content themselves with 
sending a Commissary of Police to disperse the assem- 
blage, and would then prosecute some of the leaders for 
attending an illegal reunion. 

On Sunday night large bodies of workmen met in 
various quarters of the town to discuss their course of 
action on Tuesday. The leaders of the Republicans 
were most active in stimulating the people to attend in 
imposing numbers ; but every party united in recom- 
mending the strictest order and peaceful conduct. 

Arraiagements were made on this day, by which 
about six thousand students were to have attended the 
procession. Many professed to fear the consequences of 
this measure, but without reason ; for though the eiudi- 
ants of Paris always turn out and fight when there is a 
serious movement, they never wantonly begin one. The 
journeymen printers, among whom are many Socialists, 
were also much feared : but no uneasiness need have 
been felt had not the Government fanned disaffection into 
a flame by its own conduct. 

On Monday morning a rumour got afloat that the 
Reform Banquet would be prohibited, and the sitting oi 
the Chamber of Deputies was looked for with intense 
anxiety. At one o'clock they met, and began to empty 
benches the discussion of a project of law relative to the 
Bourdeaux bank. M. Leon Faucher and Blanque in 
vain addressed the house, which paid no attention to the 
speeches. The report was spread in the Salle des pas 
perdus and the Hall of Conferences, that the most violent 
measures of coercion were to be resorted to. Marshal 
Bugeaud, it was said, was to be invested with the mili- 
tary- command of Paris, with the title of Governor. A 
proclamation, it was rumoured, was to be issued against 
the meeting, and against all aiiroiipemenis, or crowds. In 
fact, the words, Paris is to be declared in a state of 
siege, were whispered from member to member, while 
the whole town was to be militarily occupied. The de- 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 63 

bate, amid all these rumours was, of course, wholly neg- 
lected. The few members present spoke in low tones, 
and the hum of conversation drowned the voices of the 
orators. M. Guizot encouraged them to proceed as if 
nothing was the matter, when suddenly, the Opposition 
and others, to the number of two hundred and fifty, en- 
tered in a tumultuous mass, and amid profound agitation. 
Indignation, mixed v/ith an indefinable tenu, was on every 
face. Odillon Barrot advanced to the tribune, and the 
President having called upon him to speak, he rose amid 
the deepest silence. His speech was firm, solemn, and 
temperate. I give the outline of it with the reply, every 
line of both of which are pregnant with meaning. 

M. Odillon Barrot. — The Chamber must remember 
that, when the address was under consideration here, a 
discussion took place relative to the right insisted on by 
us, and denied by the Government, of meeting together, 
on condition of previously informing the authorities, and 
of assembling without tumult and without arms. That 
question was not decided. My opinion is — that it ought 
to have been settled by the Chambers, for when a con- 
stitutional question of such great importance is brought 
forward, the duty of Parliament is not to leave it in doubt 
— for to it belongs the task of regulating the political 
rights of citizens. This question ought, therefore, to 
have been decided, but it was not so. However, an im- 
perative duty remained for those who maintain that the 
right of meeting is one of those liberties which a citizen 
cannot allow himself to be despoiled of without compro- 
mising all the others ; and that was, to set forth, in pre- 
sence of the pretensions of the Government, a solemn 
protest — in fact, to exercise that right in such a manner 
as that, on thei^r part, at least, there should be no con- 
cession, that is, with the firm resolution not to stop short, 
except before some invincible obstacle. That arrange- 
ment had been accepted. We thought that the Govern- 
ment, believing itself armed with sufficient laws, intend- 



64 SUNDAY AND MONDAY, 

ed to carry before the tribunals such persons as should 
persist in claiming the right of meeting, and of having 
the legality of that right in that manner decided ; mat- 
ters would so have passed over with calm, and without 
disturbance. The public, no doubt, was exceedingly 
occupied with the matter, as it could not remain indif- 
ferent to a dispute, on the issue of which depended the 
most precious of its rights, since from it flowed all the 
rest. Yet, notwithstanding this profound and most na- 
tural emotion of the public, I do not hesitate to declare 
that the contest would have been, in every respect, ac- 
cording to law, and exempt from all trouble and disturb- 
ance. (Denial from the Centres.) I am convinced that, 
however severe a blow the policy of the Government might 
have received from the manifestation, public order would 
never have been a moment troubled. But it now appears, 
that to counsels of wisdom and prudence have succeed- 
ed other suggestions ; that acts of authority relative to a 
disturbance which may be called into existence, appear 
to establish that force is to be opposed to the peaceful ex- 
ercise of an evident right. It does not belong to me at 
present to remark on the opportuneness of the measures 
taken by the authorities. I fear that these measures, 
though said to be dictated by an interest of order, may, 
on the contrary, be the cause of disturbance. The ma- 
nifestation, peaceably effected, would have calmed down 
men's minds ; but now the very opposite effect will be 
produced, and an indefinite germ of perturbation and 
disorder will be left behind. If my voice could exercise 
any influence on the country, I would say to it — " The 
first necessity, the first duty of all is to employ every 
possible means to prevent the evils which imprudent 
measures may produce." It is that thought, gentlemen, 
which I have considered it necessary to express before 
this grave assembly — if it depended on me to appease 
the agitation which I foresee, I should do so with all the 
energy of my patriotism. (Hear, hear.) But there my 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 65 

powers cease — -I cannot say any thing farther. It is to 
the Ministry that belongs the care of watching over pub- 
lic order — and it is to it that belongs the responsibility 
of what may happen. (Loud approbation from the Left ; 
great agitation.) 

The Minister of the Interior. — The responsibility, of 
which the Honourable Deputy speaks, does not fall on the 
Government alone — it applies to every one — (hear, hear) 
— and we have a manifest proof of the fact in the highly 
creditable care M. Odillon Barrot himself has exhibited, 
in expressing the sentiments which the Chamber has just 
heard. I shall very frankly and very clearly declare 
what is the present attitude of the Government, and on 
what ground it has taken up its stand. (Hear, hear.) 
M. Odillon Barrot has told you that the question of an 
unlimited right of meeting had been discussed in this 
Chamber, but not decided — that he had been anxious for 
a solution, and that it was in order that such a result 
might be come to, that a Banquet was announced and 
prepared : he added, that the Government itself had ap- 
peared disposed, as much as it depended on it, within the 
limit of its opinion, which is opposed to that of M. Odil- 
lon Barrot, to lead to the judicial solution which could 
settle the dispute. All that is true — we could, reckoning 
on the right which we consider as incontestable, and on 
the practice which has never been called in question ; 
we could, I say, have prevented by the employment of 
force the Banquet announced for several days, and which 
has disturbed and agitated the capital. We were struck, 
like the honourable gentleman, with the advantage which 
would accrue to every one to obtain a decision in a court 
of law, and whilst we maintained the principles express- 
ed in this tribune by the Government, we were ready to 
permit matters to arrive at the point when a contraven- 
tion having evidently taken place, a case for decision in 
a court of law could follow. (Hear, hear.) But, gentle- 
men, the matter has changed. 1 believe there is not a 



66 SUNDAY AND MONDAY, 

single person in this Chamber, who has not this morning 
read a manifesto published by a committee (the members 
of which are not mentioned), and inserted in all the op- 
position journals. What is the purport of that manifesto ? 
It does not confine itself to speaking of the Banquet, and 
preparing the judicial solution of the question — no, it 
makes an appeal to all those who profess opposition prin- 
ciples, invites them to a manifestation which I have no 
hesitation in declaring would compromise the tranquillity 
of the capital. Nor is that all ; the manifesto, in con- 
tempt of every law, in contempt in particular of that of 
1831, calls on the National Guards to assemble, and not 
only that, but invites the students of the schools, young 
men under age, to join the cortege, which is to be defend- 
ed, as it were, by the National Guards of the 12th Le- 
gion ; it announces that the National Guards are to be 
placed in the order of their legions, and under the con- 
duct of their officers. Such a manifesto violates all the 
laws of the country, on which tranquillity and public 
order depend. (Hear, hear.) The law relative to mob 
assemblages is clearly violated by it, as is that relative to 
the National Guard. (Hear, hear.) I appeal to the im- 
partiality of this Chamber, and I ask what else is this , 
manifesto, but the proclamation of a Government wishing 
to place itself by the side of the regular one of the coun- 
try ? A Government, emanating from a committee, of 
which I know nothing, assuming the place of the Consti- 
tutional Government, founded by the Charter and sup- 
ported by the majority of the two Chambers, takes on 
itself to speak to the citizens, to call out the National 
Guard, to provoke assemblages of people in the public 
streets ! That cannot be permitted ; it is our duty not to 
allow such things to exist ! (Hear, hear.) We are re- 
sponsible for the maintenance of public order. I hope, 
like M. Odillon Barrot, that it will not be troubled ; but 
I should not answer for its not being so, if the Govern- 
ment did not take all the precautions that it deems ne- 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 67 

cessary, since I have not the same faith as the Honourable 
Deputy in those who might take part in the manifestation. 
(Hear, hear, from the Centres, disapprobation from the 
Left.) I now sum up what I meant to say : — We have 
on this occasion acted a just part by every one. Until 
the manifesto of this morning, we maintained the situa- 
tion which the Government had taken on the discussion 
of the address ; we were inclined to allow the question to 
be decided judicially, but cannot permit a Government, 
suddenly got up, to place itself in the face of the legal 
and Constitutional Government of the country. (Loud 
approbation from the Centre.) 

M. Odillon Barrot. — I fear that the Honourable Min- 
ister is designedly exaggerating matters. (Murmurs 
and criesof " Yes, yes,'' from the Left.) If the Honour- 
able Minister had merely declared that a solemn mani- 
festation, in which a great part of the population was to 
take part, could disquiet the Government, and disquiet 
it the more that all would be regular and peaceful (No, 
No), I think that he would be nearer the truth. But, I 
may ask, whilst laying aside some expressions in the 
document, and v/hich I neither avow nor disavow, (great 
interruption), I avow most loudly the intention of the 
document, but I disavow the language used. When men 
summon a great concourse of citizens together, they 
would fail in all their duty if they did not adopt every 
possible means to preserve order. If, in our country, 
great meetings cannot take place, unless when regulated 
by the official authorities, why, I suppose, they must 
even submit to such regulations ! 

The Chamber then adjourned amid an agitation 
which is scarcely to be described, after agreeing to meet 
the next day at one o'clock. 

In Paris, the prohibition w^as not generally known 
until late at night. But on the Bourse the most intense 
excitement v/as experienced. Business was at a stand- 
still. Every hour brought the intelligence of some new 



68 SUNDAY AND MONDAY, 

military preparation, and any one who had listened to 
the conversations going on would have supposed himself 
in a camp on the eve of a great battle. Trains of artil- 
lerv, ammunition waggons, soldiers, cavalry; the forts, 
the National Guard, the Chateau de Vincennes ready for 
a siege, such were the words which were heard, both on 
the Exchange, and in the passage of the Opera, v/here 
the funds momentarih" rose, in consequence of a rumoured 
resignation of Ministers. 

Night drew in. The puhlic places were all filled 
with anxious crowds. The evening papers were looked ^ 
for with a feeling, half of terror, half of hope. These'" 
journals are served about eight or nine in the evening to 
all their reorular subscribers, and at nine o'clock are sold 
at the corners of the principal streets for three-halfpence 
and twopence each. On the Boulevards and elsewhere 
the stands of the Patrie and Gazette de France were sur 
rounded by a regular mob of well-dressed people, who 
half fought for a paper as soon as it appeared. Ten- 
pence and fifteen-pence were given for a single copy of 
the Patrie, which the fortunate purchaser rushed lo read 
beneath a lamp-post, or at a shop-window. Knots of 
men, of all classes mixed together, conversed in under 
tones, while others read out extracts from the papers by 
torch-light. 

Betv/een nine and ten there appeared, as if by magic, 
on every wall in Paris, a number of proclamations pro- 
hibiting the Banquet, and calling attention to the laws 
against crowds collecting and stopping up the thorough- 
fares. The ground taken by ministers in the proclama- 
tion was : that the calling out of the National Guard, 
the marshalling of them in order, and using them in a 
political demonstration, was a violation of the Charter 
and the actual substitution of a second government in 
the country besides that established by law. Another 
from the General of the National Guard pointed out the 
illegality of the assemblage of the National Guards with- 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 69 

out authority from the civil powers. Every where, where 
these documents were seen, the people collected round 
them in large knots, while one man read out their con- 
tents to the excited populace. They were then torn 
down and trampled under foot. 

The most sinister rumours now got afloat. Every 
where the people said, that now, more than ever, the 
Banquet should be held, and that if the Opposition had 
courage to do so, they would stand by them to the last. 
Many whispered in the crowds, that the next day, all 
Frenchmen should be ready to do their duty. Several 
Republicans moved silently from group to group, sound- 
ing the disposition of the people, who, artisans, shop, 
keepers, professional men, all showed but one desire— 
that of resistance. In cafes, in reading-rooms, the proba- 
ble results of a struggle were calculated, and some as- 
serted, with confidence, that the troops were well dispos- 
ed to the people. Many a student, many an artisan, 
many an enthusiastic Republican passed the night in 
cleaning his arms and making ball cartridges in case of 
a final emergency. 

That evening, the trains which left Paris were unu- 
sually full; the more foreseeing and cautious among for- 
eigners and rich French started to leave the country, or 
seek refuge in their country-houses. Amid moderate 
men, who wished well to the dynasty, and even to the 
Cabinet, if they would but make concession to the voice 
of public opinion, stupefaction, terror and sorrow were 
the paramount feelings. 

Meanwhile the Opposition met at Barrot's house. 
The discussion was earnest, even stormy. A minority, 
among whom were Lamartine, Cremieux, Ledru-Rollin, 
and others, were for holding the Banquet and forcing the 
Government to a still more flagrant violation of public 
rights. The more moderate party, however, prevailed, 
and the Opposition decided that thev would withdraw 

7 



to SUNDAY AND MONDAY, 

from the Banquet and impeach Ministers. By this pro 
Deeding the liberal party conceived they would avoid a 
collision between the people and {he force puilique. 

But the very retreat of the Opposition, served only 
to inflame men's minds the more. The masses con- 
ceived themselves betrayed and deserted, and from the 
moment that Barrot and his party withdrew from the 
manifestation, they were lost in the opinions of all those 
men who were ready to sacrifice, even to their lives, for 
the progress of liberty, and to gain a victory over arbi- 
trary power and tyranny. Their organ cried out — 
" The Dynastic Opposition retreats ; it retreats, after 
having proclaimed the right, after entering into a solemn 
engagement to defend it, after publishing the programme 
of its resolutions, after having provoked the people to 
associate themselves to a manifestation which should be 
as glorious as efficacious !" 

Thus the great city of Paris went to rest on Monday 
night, with a King confident in his brute force, with a 
ministry confident in themselves, with an opposition 
doubting, disunited and uncertain, with a people hopeful, 
anxious, and in part conscious of the great morrow which 
was to dawn upon them. Many an enthusiastic little 
circle remained watching that night, and if men woke 
and heard any sound, they rushed to their windows, ex- 
pecting it was the tocsin, or the call of the garrison to 
arms. Several times during that night was I startled 
by the heavy rattling of cannon and ammunition wag- 
gons beneath my window. They were crossing Paris 
from Vincennes to protect several important forts and 
barracks. 

Up to a late hour, too, knots of working men kept 
about the rues St. Denis and St. Martain ; some remain- 
ed about all night, for the decision of the Deputies not to 
attend the meeting after the prohibition of Government 
was not generally known, and they wished to be early 



FEBRUARY 20 AND 21. 71 

at their post to witness the procession. Patrols, trebled 
in number, tramped along the pavements, their bayonets 
flashing beneath the reverberes, looking ominous of the 
coming events. All, in fact, combined to make Monday- 
night the fit eve of a revolution. 



72 TUESDAY, FEBRUAET 



CHAPTER YI. 

TUESDAY. FEBRr^RY 'Z'^. 



oo 



The journals of the Opposition appeared with the 
notice, in large letters, at the head of their papers, that 
the Banquet was given up, and an appeal to the popula- 
tion of Paris to keep order, formed a very prominent part 
of the announcement. The gauche were evidently 
alarmed, while ministers were confident, and their jour- 
nals sang a triumphant song of victory. From an early 
hour detachments of Municipal Guard, troops of the line 
and cavalrv. were seen movincr towards the Boulevards 
and the Chamber of Deputies ; it became known that 
heavy squadrons of cavalry had entered Paris during 
the night, while others were concealed within the Hippo- 
drome, or were bivouacked round the fortifications. The 
spies of the Government reported during the night that 
there was a total absence of conspiracy. To try and 
discover something, the police had, on the Sunday night, 
effected a number of arbitrary arrests at the masked 
balls of the Opera and Ambigu-Comique. This auda- 
cious proceeding produced no result. 

The weather was disagreeable, even wet. A sombre 
and threatening sky hung over the town, but from sLx in 
the morning the Boulevards presented an animated ap- 
pearance. Crowds of working men, of shopkeepers, 
began to move towards the Church of the Madeleine, in 
front of which the procession was to have met and formed. 
Many were not aware that the Banquet was given up, 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22. 73 

and went to witness the departure of the cortege, while 
those who knew that the Opposition had abandoned their 
intention of holding the meeting, went with a vague 
desire to see what would happen. Hundreds went with 
a settled determination to bring things to an issue ; for 
early on Tuesday morning I saw swords, and daggers, 
and pistols concealed under the Mouses of the working 
men. One of these, an old man of about sixty, must, I 
think, have been a soldier of Napoleon. He stood near 
a body of Municipal Guards, and seemed to dare them, 
holding his sword ready under his smock-frock, to attack 
them. 

Between nine and ten I walked to the Place de la 
Madeleine. It was covered with knots of men and wo- 
men of all classes, talking, whispering, looking about 
with a vague air of uncertainty and alarm. Along the 
Rue Royale, leading from the Place de la Madeleine to 
that of La Concorde, on the opposite side of which, over 
the Seine, as most of my readers will be aware, is the 
Chamber of Deputies, the crowd was dense, while per- 
fect droves of men were hurrying up the avenue of the 
Champs Elysees. 

Large bodies of cavalry moved about the road leading 
from the Tuileries to the Barriere de I'Etoile, but the 
greatest military display was round the Chamber of De- 
puties. A very large portion of the population of the 
left bank of the Seine, full of anxiety to learn what were 
the events going on, and as yet unaware of the intention 
of the Opposition not to hold the Banquet, came down 
upon the quais in tremendous masses, and effecting a 
junction with a column which came across the bridge 
of La Concorde, tried to burst into the Chamber of Depu- 
ties. The huissiers and certain Deputies hastened to 
prevent them proceeding further, and aided by a squad- 
ron of cavalry, order was restored. 

The neighbourhood of the Chamber of Deputies were 
then occupied militarily. A strong force was placed 



74 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22. 

upon the Pont de la Concorde, and on attempting to pass, 
I and others were driven back by the military. No one 
was allowed to cross save Deputies, who carried their 
medals, or persons bearing tickets. The other ap- 
proaches to the Legislature were equally well guarded. 
Between the Quai d'Orsay and the Invalides, two regi- 
ments of the line and six pieces of artillery were sta- 
tioned. 

Meanwhile, every where the crowd increased, all 
Paris seemed moving to the Boulevards, to the Madeleine, 
to the Champs Elysees, and to the Place de la Concorde. 
As yet there was no menacing aspect in the masses, 
many artisans, with their wives on their arms, hung 
about looking on and listening. Not a policeman {ser- 
jent de ville), in uniform, was seen, but many a mouchard 
face could be distinguished in the crowd. 

About ten o'clock, a considerable body of workmen, 
and young men belonging to the different schools of Paris 
collected on the Place du Pantheon, and set out for the 
Madeleine by the Rues St. Jacques, des Gres, the Pont 
Neuf, the Rue St. Honore, &c., crying as they went, 
Vive la Reforme, and singing the Marseillaise and the 
chiBur des Girondins ; which had just become popular 
on the boards of the Theatre Historiqiie. 

" Par sa voix le canon appelle 
De la France tous les enfants, 
Et pour vainrre ou mourir pour elle 
Voyez venir ces combattants. 
Mourir pour la patrle, mourir pour la patrie, 
C'st le sort le plus beau, le plus digne d'envie," &c., &,c. 

This procession, which had gradually swelled as it 
went, came out. upon the Boulevards by the Rue Duphot, 
and as they passed, it was impossible not to admire the 
courage of this body of young men, who, w^holly un- 
armed, thus braved the strict orders of a Government, 
backed by an immense army and whole parks of ar- 
tillery. They were liable at every moment to be charg- 



TUESDAY, FEBRUATIY 22. 75 

ed or fired on. The proclamations strictly prohibited 
crowds, and warned the people that they rendered them- 
selves liable to all the penalties of the laws of the 19th 
and 22nd of July, 1791 ; the 10th and 12th articles of 
the 12th Messidor, year VII L, of the 3rd of August, 
1791, and others. Every one was bound to disperse at 
the summons of a magistrate. Those who disobeyed the 
first summons were liable to be arrested ; those who 
refused to disperse at the second, could be punished with 
three months' imprisonment, and at the third, the penalty 
was a year. If arms were found upon any one of them, 
two years could be inflicted. If the crowd was of a 
political character, the members of it could be deprived 
of their civil rights during three years. Such were the 
severe penalties which these young men freely braved. 
The time was come, they seemed to feel, when there 
was no remedy against oppression but in the violation 
of the law, and they risked all for their love of liberty. 

Having reached the Madeleine, the procession halted 
before the house in which the central committee of the 
electors of the Opposition were in the habit of assem- 
bling, and asked for M. Barrot, who, however, was not 
there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, up to the time 
this procession passed before its door, had the gate open, 
with soldiers standing, before utterly unarmed, and were 
spectators of the scene which was passing. 

About eleven, when the crowd had become most dense 
on the Madeleine, a large body of military, belonging to 
the 21st regiment of the line, appeared. They drove 
back the crowd, and ranged themselves in battle array to 
the left of the church. It was remarked by all that a 
certain number of soldiers in each company bore, fasten- 
ed to his havre-sac, pickaxes, hatchets, and hammers ; 
but I can testify that the expression of the men v/ho bor© 
these instruments of a hated power was sad, even me- 
lancholy. The ofHcers were grave, and, as they walked 
up and down the Boulevards at the head of little com- 



76 TUESDAY, FEBRFAEY 22, 

panies, took care not to irritate the masses by any display 
of violence. 

Still the crowd of students sang in turn the Marseil- 
laise and Mourirpour la patne, to the great delight of the 
dertse masses who crowded the place. The shops were 
all shut; but every window of the lofty houses was 
crowded with spectators. Suddenly a thrill seemed to 
pervade the populace. Something was happening on the 
Place de la Concorde, and a general movement took place 
in that direction. 

Shortly after the attack upon the Chamber of Depu- 
ties, which was far from being serious, a squadron of the 
Municipal Guard, on horseback, arrived at a hand gallop, 
swept the end of the bridge, and spreading over the place, 
rano-ed in battle array near the Luxor Obelisk. A de- 
tachment of dragoons at the same moment c ime down 
the alley of the Champs Elysees at a gallop. Cries of 
vivent les dragons ! were loudly uttered as they went by. 
After scalloping round the whole of the magnificent Place 
de la Concorde, this detachment came and placed itself 
near the squadroQ of the Municipal Guard. Shortly 
after, this post was still further strengthened by a com- 
pany of Chasseurs a cheval, who took up their position in 
a line with the others, and by a large force of infantry 
belona-ing to different rec^iments. A dense crowd con- 
gregated around them. The crush was excessive. 
Some women began to be alarmed. Suddenly the popu- 
lace commenced hissing and hooting in various groups, 
and stones were thrown at the Municipal Guard on horse- 
back. A (fdb, in which were two ladies, was stopped, 
the ladies got out, and it was upset to commence a barri- 
cade near the end of the Rue Royale. Some cavalry 
separated from the group of soldiers and pushed back the 
crowd. Several charges, at a gentle trot, were executed 
by the dragoons, who behaved with moderation. They 
were received with loud applause by the mob, and not a 
sword was drawn. There was no sign of much irritation 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY C?. 7T 

arnong the masses, who allowed single soldiers to start 
without molestation, to carry news and give orders. 

An officer of dragoons advanced alone to a large 
group of spectators, who were collected in the basin of 
one of the fountains, and begged them to retire, which 
many of them at once did. A few persisted ; but sud- 
denly the water beginning to play, they jumped out amid 
loud laughter. In fact, with few exceptions, the crowd, 
amidst whom were many well-dressed ladies and gen- 
tlemen, were excessively good humoured. The majority 
seemed persuaded that the vast display of unarmed Pa- 
risians who had turned out, would induce the Ministry to 
give way. 

The Municipal Guard, however, like the Gendarmes 
and Swiss of the July Revolution, seemed doomed to mar 
all. This body, detested by the Parisians as police, kept 
up continued charges upon the crowd as it gradually dis- 
persed. Knowing the feeling which was experienced 
towards them, and cordially returning it, they showed no 
piiy or mercy. They kept galloping suddenly towards 
the multitude, and in one charge upset about twenty 
people, while hundreds leaped over the parapets into the 
gardens beneath the surface of the place. Amongst 
those who iell was an elderly lady, killed by the kick of 
a horse upon the spot. Not content with this wanton 
brutality, the Municipals used their swords, and a work- 
ing man, cut in the neck, had to be carried to the Cafe 
des Ambassadeurs, where his wound was dressed on the 
spot by a surgeon. The ^meute may nov/ be said to have 
begun, for blood had been shed, however slightly, and by 
the hand of the hated soldier-police. About this time, 
the Reform Deputies were recognized by the crowd, and 
loudly cheered on their way to the House, while a ccn- 
servaieur endurci was obliged to stop and cry vive la 
R^fonne / He was then allowed to pass, and the crowd 
turned back. 

The aspect of the m.asses, who moved away telling 



78 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY ^. 

what they had seen eTeiy where they went, was angry 
and terrified. Consternation sat on the faces of the 
timid, anger and bitterness on those of the resolute. 
Execrations were scattered every where on the Munici- 
pal Guard, whose conduct was known like lightning 
throughout Paris. In half-an-hour, rumour, that tele- 
graph of an excited populace, had carried the fact to the 
niost distant quarters of the town. Up to about twelve, 
large numbers of workmen had continued to labour, but 
now, unable any longer to resist the general entraine- 
ment, they left their shops and ateliers and swelled the 
vast crowds in the streets. Many appeared still doubt- 
ful whether there would be an appeal to arms or not. 
Anxious to be au courant, I conversed with several. Re- 
assured by my sentiments, which were sufficiently warmly 
expressed, many of them said that they had their doubts 
on the general nature of any rising which would take 
place. They seemed to think that the j>eople were not 
united enough, while very few were armed. Though 
the National Guard, in part, were well known to be 
friendly, yet, if many marched with the troops, the latter 
would fight. Others, who did not dare hope to overthrow 
the dynasty, told me they saw no use in risking their 
lives to place Barrot and Thiers in the place of Guizot 
and Duchatel. 

One, a warm enthusiastic Republican, said, '•' Mon^ 
sieur, give me a round sum of money and a dozen reso- 
lute men, and I will revolutionize Paris in one night." 
I asked how. " The sacristains of Paris, like the priests, 
are all Carlists. I would go round to them, and holding 
out hopes, that after a revolution, Henry V. would stand 
a good chance if he had the friends, he was asserted to 
have, I would beg or buy adn'^ission into every church 
in Paris. In each I would place one determined man, 
who, to-night, at midnight, should sound the tocsin, when 
all would be over; the rising would be general; every 
one would rush to arms, and before dawn, Paris would 



TtJESDAY, FEBRUARY ^. 79 

be ours. Bon jour, monsieur,^^ and the journeyman 
painter, who had been speaking, walked away, leaving 
me convinced of the deep-rooted hatred of monarchy 
which had put such notions into the people's minds. 
This same man, in a previous part of our conversation, 
had said, that he, for one, would not fight for the gauche, 
but if he saw the struggle was vraiment pour la liberie 
against ces canailles de rois, he would at once turn out. 

On the Place de la Madeleine similar scenes occurred. 
A man pointed out by some one as a mouchard, was pur- 
sued by hisses, hootings, and at length by stones. The 
Municipal Guard, a body of whose cavalry had jusl 
come up, at once made a rapid charge among the people. 
Several of the crowd were bruised, and an artisan had 
his head cut open by the kick of a horse. 

About twelve, passing by the Ministry for Foreign 
Affairs, I noticed, in the back court, a heavy detachment 
of dragoons, in addition to which, soon after, the front 
door was closed and guarded by numerous sentries. A 
powerful mob, with sticks and iron bars, strove to burst 
open the gate and inflict summary vengeance on Guizot. 
The windows were broken with stones. Loud cries of 
Vive la Reforme ! were followed by a has Vhomme de 
Gand ! and a bus Guizot ! A single Municipal Guard 
strove to get out at the front gate, as if to go for a re- 
inforcement. He was pelted with stones and driven back 
within shelter of the hotel. 

About this time a most imposing military force 
marched down upon the hotel, which assumed the air of 
a fortress. A line of soldiers, with their arms loaded 
and bayonets fixed, occupied the pavement. The long 
garden wall was guarded by a cordon of troops, and Mu- 
nicipal Guard on horseback stood before the door. These 
latter took up their position with so much carelessness, 
as to knock down and severely wound one of the ci'owd. 
Shortly after, one of these police having rushed out to 
seize a rioter, was unhorsed and severely handled, after 



80 TUESDAT,. FEBRUARY 2^. 

which he was taken to the same doctor's shop where was 
the wounded man of the people. From that moment all 
disturbance finished on this point for the day, and Guizot 
was able to go to the Chamber of Deputies. The pas- 
sengers were in this neighbourhood compelled to turn out 
on to the carriage way, the whole pavement being occu- 
pied by soldiers. 

Still, all the shops were closed on the Boulevards. 
The crowd, instead of diminishing, increased every hour. 
About three o'clock, a general feeling of alarm prevail- 
ed. The news came that grave disorders had taken 
place at the Champs Elysees. In fact, about half-past 
two, a hundred men collected in one of the alleys of that 
quarter near what is called the Cours-Ia-Reine. They 
were wholly without arms. They began, however, to 
raise barricades with the chairs and seats provided in 
this fashionable promenade, which was about as efficacious 
^s a barricade in the centre of Hyde Park. But this took 
place within a hundred yards of the cavalry on the Place 
de la Concorde. Having executed their bravado, they 
moved towards the small post of six men, who occupit-d the 
corps -de-garde, near the Panorama of the Battle of Eylau. 
The soldiers, suddenly attacked, had scarce time to take 
refage in the post by shutting the railed gate. A work- 
man leaped over the griUe, climbed the wall, and walked 
audaciously alonir the roof. Others followed, and enter- 
€d the corps-de-garde by one of the windows. It is not 
exactly known from what motive the soldiers refused to 
defend themselves, but it is probable that they were 
aware what a heavy responsibility rested on those who 
fired the first shot. However this may be, they allowed 
the people to enter without resistance, who occupied the 
post and endeavoured to fire it. All the little corps-de- 
gardes of the Champs Elysees now retired before the 
hostde demonstrations of the people, and a band of ga- 
mine strove to fire that of the Rue Matignon . 

About this time, a body of men came down to the 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2?. 81 

Place Vendome, some wearing the revolutionary bonnet 
rouge, and made the round of the column, crying Vive 
NapoUon ! and Vive la Repxiblique ! The post of the 
etat-major made no effort to attack them. It was re- 
marked, that several of them wore the uniform of the 
National Guard, though unarmed. The shops in the 
Rue Castiglione were shut, and v»^hen shortly after a 
column of students and working men came down the 
Rue St. Honore, singing very loudly the Marseillaise, 
the others were also rapidly closed. 

Up till about two, those in the neighbourhood of the 
Palais-Royal and in that building had been kept open, 
and though little business was done, there was no out- 
ward sign of the ferment, but the column of men above 
alluded'to, principally in blouses, having reached the 
Rue Richelieu, and thence entering the Rue Vivienne 
on their way to the Bourse, the shops were closed as if 
by magic. In the Rue Vivienne, having come upon a 
w'ood cart which was unloading before a baker's door, 
they armed themselves with long sticks from this vehicle, 
and, as they went, broke the windows of M. Baudoni, a 
hatter, and took from his shop all the swords which were 
displayed for sale. 

When this body came in sight of the Bourse, the sen- 
tinels retreated, but no attack was attempted on the great 
public building-, In fact, most of the bearers of cudgels 
had thrown ihem away ere they reached the Boulevard, 
alono- which they marched towards the Place de la Bas- 
tille.^ No effect was produced upon the public funds by 
this procession, but every where the shops closed as they 
came in sight, or rather after their passage. 

About one, a very melancholy event took place on 
the Place de la Bastille, where one of the famous mobs 
of the Faubourg St. Antoine was assembled. A man, 
pointed out as a sergeni de ville in disguise, was violent- 
ly cudgelled, and then stabbed in the side, within a few 
yards of a post of the Municipal Guard, who were un- 



82 TUESDAY, FEBRUAEY 22. 

able to interfere before he lay dead on the pavement. 
This brutal act was as disgraceful to the people who 
were guilty of it, as the conduct of the police elsewhere 
was to their leaders. But I am assured it was the effect 
of private revenge on the part of some malefactors, who 
are always unfortunately prominent actors in every po- 
pular movement. 

About three several attempts at erecting barricades 
were made in the Rues de Rivoli, St. Honore, and adja- 
cent streets. The people first upset an omnibus nearly 
opposite the Minister of Finance. Behind this a whole 
line of paving-stones were broken up, two small carriages 
were stopped, and the occupants ordered to get out, when 
a charge of cavalry came down upon the insurgents and 
dispersed them. The omnibus was raised, and the 
soldiers restored the pavement. 

At this very time, having returned to my residence 
to write a letter, 1 was witness to a scene, which de- 
scribed minutely, may give an idea of many similar 
events. My residence is situated in the Rue St. Honore. 
To my left is the Rue Casiiglione, Place Vendome, &;c., 
to my right the Rue d'Alger, and, a Ihtle beyond, the 
Rue du Marche St. Honore, and the Rue 29 Juillet. 
Beyond it, the Rue Dauphine and Pvue Neuve St. Roch, 
both entering the Rue St. Honore by the Church of St. 
Roch on different sides of the way. 

Called to my window by a noise, I saw several per- 
sons standing at the horses' heads of an omnibvis. The 
driver whipped, and tried to drive on. The people in- 
sisted. At length, several policemen in plain clothes in- 
terfered, and as the party of the people was small, disen- 
gaged the omnibus, ordered the passengers to get out, 
and sent the vehicle home amid the hootings of the mob. 
A few minutes later, a cart full of stones and gravel came 
up. A number of boys seized it, undid the harness, and 
it was placed instantly in the middle of the street, amid 
loud cheering. A brewer's dray and hackney cab were 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22. 83 

in briefspaceof time added, and the barricade was made. 
The passers by continued to move along with the most 
perfect indifference. 

Hurra ! hurra ! resounded in the direction of St. Roch. 
The people are unpaving the streets leading to the 
Marchfi St. Honore. Another loud and terrific shout, 
and an omnibus without horses is seen dashing along at 
a rapid rate, impelled by eager hands. Having been 
brought to the corner of the Rue 29 Juillet, it was upset 
across the street, amid tremendous clamour. Every 
minute the crowd grew more dense. Men ran from the 
barricade encouraging the people who were without 
arms. 

Hurra! hurra! another omnibus is found, and is 
drawn furiously along the street, and upset alongside the 
other. With paving-stones, a cab, and water carts from 
the market-place, this barricade is perfect. Still, men, 
boys, all work enthusiastically. The street is rapidly 
tinpaved with sticks, iron bars and hands, and the stones 
are pile.d up in the interstices of the earriagesx, 

Next minute, a remise is burst into, and three cabs 
are drawn out, with which the people rush to barricade 
4he Rue d'Alger, by which the troops might most easily 
attack them. At St. Roch, an effort is madcj but in vain, 
to tear down the rails in front of the church ; but at the 
Assomption, exactly opposite the old house where dwelt 
Maximilien Robespierre, the grille is torn down, and 
placed across the street. 

But beneath my window the tumult continues. Men 
begin to arrive, whose sticks and red caps look ominous 
of serious work. Still, ladies and gentlemen come up 
to the Boulevards, and are politely handed over by the 
people who are thus busily engaged in doing the work of 
revolution. Along the whole Rue St. Honore, as far as 
the eye can reach, barricades are rising. 

Next door to me is an armourer^s. Suddenly the 
people perceived the words Frelat, armourier, over the 



84 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 

door. A rush is made at his shutters, stones are rained 
at his windov/s, and those of the house he occupied, 
many of which smash the panes in neighbouring houses. 
Every window is, however, filled by anxious spectators. 
Suddenly the shutters of the shop give way, they are 
torn down and borne to the barricade, while the windows 
being smashed, the people rush into the warehouse. 
There are no arms ! The night before they have been 
removed or concealed. Still, a few horns of gunpowder, 
and some swords and pistols are taken. Though the 
mob was through the w^hole of the vast hotel, a portion 
of which was occupied by the armourer, nothing but 
arms were taken away. 

About fifteen hundred men and boys now occupied 
the space betv/een the three barricades, but almost wholly 
unarmed, when I saw a rush from the Rue d'Alger. 
The troops were coming. A small detachment of Mu- 
nicipal Guard a clieval had just before ridden up to the 
barricade near the Rue Castiglione, and been driven back 
by showers of stones. But the infantry crossed the feeble 
barricade of the Rue d' Alger, which could offer no re- 
sistance, and, headed by the commissaiy of police of the 
quarter, with his tri-coloured scarf, advanced on the 
people, who gave way in general before them. A few, 
among others, one of those with a honnet rouge, remained 
firm, and was captured by the troops of the line ; who 
then made a rush at the people, but took care not to hurt 
any one. 

At the barricade of the Rue 29 Juillet, the detach- 
ment of soldiers was not strong enough, and were driven 
back, while an officier d'' ordonnayice from the Chateau had 
his coat and epaulettes torn off. 

Presently, however, reinforcements arrived, and all 
these barricades were removed, while a company of sol- 
diers were stationed before the armourer's shop, while it 
was being repaired. These were afterwards replaced by 
a detachment of cavalry, who remained there until a late 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 85 

hour of the night Shortly after the removal of the bar- 
ricades, a company of Municipal Guard infantry came 
along, and every where they passed, left marks of their 
brutality. The people were struck right and left with- 
out provocation. An officer, under my eye, struck a 
young man in the mouth v/ith the handle of his sword for 
crying vivs la Reforme /* 

Every shop In the Rue St. Honore was now shut, 
and every window occupied by excited and alarmed spec- 
tators. Various sentiments v/ere expressed. Those who 
were devoted to the system spoke of^ the affair as a mis- 
erable row ; and when, among others, I ventured to as- 
sert that Louis Philippe would inevitably fall this time, 
1 was laughed at. I verily believe the men who laughed 
at me that day have never laughed since. The terror 
of some ladies v/as painful to witness, while that of the 
shopkeepers was absolutely abject. 

Heavy patrols now passed up and down the street, 
composed chiefly of cavalry, who came up at a hand- 
gallop, while others every now and then made a line 
across the street, even on the pavement, preventing any 
one from passing. This proceeding naturally increased 
rather than decreased the confusion, which pervaded my 
quarter up to a very late hour at night. 

In the Rue de Richelieu, near the arjnurier Lepage, 
some men upset an omnibus, v/hile others sacked the 
shop, the strong shutters of which v/ere burst open by the 
-aid of the pole of the vehicle and a lever. Several swords 
and guns were found, with which the people armed them- 
selves. But here also a charge of dragoons, who started 
from the Place de Carrousel, dispersed the people, carried 

* It was here that a Municipal Guard, who rushed j sword in 
hand, at a child for crying a has Guizot, was at once dragged off his 
horse. Having taken his arras from him, one of the people was 
about to kill him with his own weapon, when a National Guard 
cried out, " Respect the wounded !" He was instantly raised up, 
and carried to a surgeon's house. 



86 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22. 

the barricade, and removed the vehicle. So daring were 
the unarmed populace, however, that five hundred of them 
crossed the vast Place du Carrousel in the presence of a 
great military display ! and, carrying flags and beating 
drums, cried, Vive la Reforme ! under the King's apart- 
nnents in the Tuileries. 

A gamin was noticed at the above barricade with a 
handsome double-barrelled gun, upon which a spectator 
addressed him. saying, " That gun is not yours ; you 
must give it up." The gamin cheerfully obeyed, and 
handed it to the post of the troops of the line who occu- 
pied the perystyle near the Theatre Francais, now Thea- 
tre de la Pcepublique. 

The ie\Y cafes and resiauranfs that had remained 
open, now closed ; a general terror pervaded the Palais 
Royal ; the rails of the Court of Honour were closed, the 
troops retiring on the inside, while the post of the Muni- 
cipal Guard, at the corner of the Rue St. Thomas-du- 
Louvre, hid themselves within their corps-de-garde ^ after 
ordering all the fiacres and calriolets to quit their usual 
stand on the Place ; where so many scenes of revolution 
had passed, where the Frondeurs stormed the same pal- 
ace ; and where Louis Philippe issued his first procla- 
mation to the people in 1830. 

In other quarters, too, the alarm now spread rapidly : 
every where the sergenis de viJJe made all persons leave 
the omnibuses, those ambulating barricades, and directed 
the conducieur to take them to their stables. For this pur- 
pose, a party of police were stationed on the Pont Neuf. 
where so many of these vehicles pass. Within sight 
alfiiost of them, on the Quai de la Ferraile, a numerous 
band made an attempt, in which they failed, to plunder 
tvro shops in which were said to be arms. 

Another band, making for the Polytechnic School, 
and breaking the lamps as they went along, were dis- 
persed by the troops of the line. Though of little impor- 
tance, still many attempts at insurrection were repeated 



TUESDAVj FEBRUARY 22. 87 

at points far distant from the principal scene of action. 
But a somewhat serious event took place in the quartier 
St. Avoie, v/here two hundred men captured and dis- 
armed a post. 

Up to this time, the police and troops of the line had 
alone been out to keep order. The National Guard, 
whose peculiar duty it was to act in similar emergencies, 
had not been summoned, those in power dreading as 
much the hostility of the middle classes as of the hum- 
bler section of society. But about four o'clock, the Exe- 
cutive, moved by the entreaties of leading men, ordered 
the rappel to be beat in the various quarters where the 
movement was taking place. The drums were, in gene- 
ral, escorted in front by a detachment of grenadiers, be- 
hind by chasseurs. In the rear of these came, in most 
instances, a body of the people, shouting, Vive la Re- 
forme ! and vive la Garde Nationale ! 

In one instance, I saw four drummers alone, followed 
by about two thousand of the populace, who showed no 
disposition to prevent the proceeding, a sufficient proof of 
the good understanding which they supposed to exist be- 
tween them and the shopkeepers. But few of the civic 
soldiers, however, replied to the appeal ; disgusted with 
the want of confidence shown towards them by the Gov- 
ernment in the morning, they refused to be made a con- 
venience of; — out of eight thousand men of the second 
legion, but five hundred and forty-four were present. 
Those who did obey the summons, were wholly unpro- 
vided with ammunition. It may be as well to mention, 
that for many years the National Guard never had pow- 
der and ball. When you saw a soldier of the line and a 
citizen in uniform mounting guard together, the one had 
ball cartridge in abundance, the other none. 

Meantime, while Paris was thus in action, what was 
passing at the Chamber of Deputies ? It was one o'clock, 
and the members arrived slowly, having some difficulty 
in passing the Place de la Revolution ; within its walls 



8S TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2-2. 

could be heard the cries and hootiiigs of the multitude, 
which vv^ere sought to be drowned by the music of the 
chasseurs of the line, v\iio played opera tunes. Many of 
those present, and the number was small, shook their 
heads ominously, as if the}^ foresaw the events which 
were grouping around the falling monarchy. Not a 
member sat on the opposition benches. Gravely the 
speakers rose, and proceeded to discuss minutely, scru- 
pulously, the Bordeaux Bank Bill. Suddenly M. Guizot 
entered, pale, sombre, but with an air of defiance and 
determination ; he took his seat on the ministerial bench 
near Marshal Bugeaud, who was to reduce the Parisians 
to the state of frightened sheep. ?>I. Thiers spoke with 
Duchatel, the Minister of the Interior. Presently Barrot, 
w^ith a look of care and fatigue, arrived, accompanied by 
a large party of his friends. A whisper thrilled through 
the Chamber. There had been barricades — there were 
wounded — there w^ere dead ; blood was being spilt ! The 
insurrection was in its bud, and the Chamber continued 
the discussion on the Bordeaux Bill ! 

At half-past four the President arose, and was about 
to leave his seat, when ]\I. Barrot reminded him that a 
proposition had been deposited, and requested that it 
might be read. The President replied, that nothing 
could be read until it had been examined by the Bureaux 
and reported. It would, therefore, be brought up Thurs- 
day. Thursday! when the Chamber of Deputies would 
cease to exist ! Pity the dynasty could not have now seen 
the fatal path on which it had entered. But had it yield- 
ed to the people, how soon would every promise have 
been violated '? The people of Paris knew with whom 
they had to deal, and resolved not to be cheated with 
promises. 

The proposition which the President had received, 
was an attempt on the part of the dynastic opposition to 
regain the ground lost by the retreat of the morning. It 
was as follows : 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22. 89 

" We propose to place the ministers in accusation as 
guilty— 

"1. Of having betrayed abroad the honour and the 
interests of France. 

" 2. Of having falsified the principles of the constitu- 
tion, violated the guarantees of liberty, and attacked the 
rights of the people. 

" 3. Of having, by a systematic corruption, attempted 
to substitute, for the free expression of public opinion, the 
calculations of private interest, and thus perverted the 
representative government. 

" 4. Of having trafficked for ministerial purposes in 
public offices, as well as in all the prerogatives and 
privileges of power. 

" 5. Of having, in the same interest, wasted the finances 
of the State, and thus compromised the forces and the 
grandeur of the kingdom. 

" 6. Of having violently despoiled the citizens of a 
right inherent to every free constitution, and the exercise 
of which had been guaranteed to them by the charter, by 
the law, and by former precedents. 

" 7. Of having, in fine, by a policy overtly counter- 
revolutionary, placed in question all the conquests of our 
two revolutions, and thrown the country into a profound 
agitation. 

[Here followed the fifty-three signatures — M. Odillon 
Barrot at the head.] 

M. Genoude submitted, in his own name, a proposi- 
tion of accusation against the Minister, conceived in these 
terms : — 

" Whereas the Minister, by his refusal to present a 
project of the law for Electoral Reform., has occasioned 
troubles, I propose to put in accusation the President of 
the Council and his colleagues." 

In the Chamber of Peers, M. de Boissy, supported 
by Count d'Alton Shee, rose to demand an explanation 
from Ministers, as to the state of the capital ; but was 



90 TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 22. 

met by a storm of hooting, and knocking of papsr-knives 
on the desks. In vain, while speaking on another ques- 
tion, he strove to allude to the crisis by a side wind. The 
French House of Lords would not be taught, they were 
the devoted friends of the monarchy, and they had full 
confidence in its being able to put down the canaille who 
assailed it. 

Great anxiety was felt as night fell, relative to the 
gas, which it was feared would be cut off by the insur- 
rection ; but by the concentration of a large military 
force round the works this fear was removed, and the 
lamps were all lit, with the exception of those on the 
Champs Elysees, which bad been broken by the rioters. 



THE KIGllT OF THE 22ND AND THE 23RD, 91 



CHAPTER VI!. 

THE NIGHT OF THE 22ND AND THE 23RD» 

In emeuies, night is generally the signal for additional 
disorder ; but on this occasion, by seven o'clock Paris 
presented the aspect it usually presents towards midnight. 
Every shop was closed, save the cafes, restaurateurs and 
wine-merchants. Still, the quarter of the town in which 
I reside was warlike in its appearance. All was still, 
save the tramp of patrols and heavy detachments of the 
military. Along the Rue de Rivoli, which skirts the gar- 
dens of the Tuileries, along the quai, on the Place de la 
Concorde and Place du Carrousel, the soldiers of the ' line' 
were bivouacked by huge camp fires. No circulation 
was allowed. A body of officers collected in a cabinet 
de lecture in the Rue de Rivoli, and passed the night 
reading and discussing the situation of affairs. The ef- 
fect of this scene was most strikinaj. It was the monarchy 
guarded by a cordon of cannon and bayonets against the 
people, for whom all governments are instituted. But 
very few of the National Guard were admitted to share 
this unenviable duty, and Louis Philippe and his family 
went to rest, as it were, in the centre of a battle-field. 

The National Guard moved about in scattered patrols 
here and there, principally about the Place Vendome and 
the Rue de Rivoli. On the Boulevards, heavy detach- 
ments of cavalry and infantry hurried along the carriage 
way, while the Municipal Guard went to rest after the 
fatigues of the day. The authorities were tender over 



92 THE NIGHT OF 

these men, on whom alone they could depend ; and the 
great part they had taken in the actions of the day had, 
of course, fatigued them much. 

About eight in the evening, a body of two thousand 
men, some armed and some unarmed, proceeded towards 
the Quartier du Marais ; as they went along they knocked 
at every door, and as soon as it was opened, tv/o men en- 
tered. 

" Arms V said they to the porters. — '• We have 
none." — -'Fear nothing," they replied, "all we ask is 
weapons, give us bars of iron, sticks, pistols, swords, 
any thing," and having received an answer, they con- 
tinued their way in peace. As soon as the night fell 
completely in, they entered the Place Royale, which at 
every issue was speedily defended by barricades of a 
most formidable character. A body of troops with can- 
non were sent to surround them, but no attack was made 
until morning. 

Elsewhere other men were similarly engaged. Nu- 
merous crowds, which were speedih^ dispersed, and as 
speedily congregated together, v/ere collected round the 
Fortes St. Denis and St. Martin. This little emeute, 
was, however, at first not of a serious character; 
though, in Paris, every thing is serious which draws 
together and excites the multitude. But by degrees the 
crowd became more dense and more irritated. About nine 
o'clock some workmen and gamins — that class of dare- 
devils of whom I shall say a few special words anon — 
tore down an iron railing within ten yards of a detach- 
ment of the line, who made no resistance to their violence. 
Loud cries of d has Guizot! and vive la Heforme ! were 
heard, and vehicles were put in requisition to form bar- 
ricades. The cockers led away their horses, in many 
instances laughing. " We cannot carry you," said one 
to a gentleman, " our vehicles are hired — by the nation." 

About the same, time some barricades were got up in 
the neighbourhood of Bourg I'Abbe, and there could be 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 93 

seen gliding through the narrow and tortuous streets of 
this quarter, a number of armed men hurrying to their 
barricades. A great many were boys, nearly children, 
who were wholly without ammunition. The crowd 
shook their heads, and expressed regret that such young 
beings should rush to almost certain death. But the 
spirit was afloat. At the entrance of narrow alleys 
stood crowds of women talking anxiously, and urging 
the men to deeds of valour. All night, in these quarters, 
were the population a-foot. In many instances balls 
were run by fires lit in the very streets. 

The whole of the hours between ten and one were 
passed in erecting barricades and in defending them ; 
for, at a late hour, the line and the Municipal Guard 
were engaged in attacking those of the Quarters St. 
Denis, Bonne Nouvelle, St. Martin, and the Marais. As, 
however, the people as yet wanted ammunition, they 
were not warmly defended, and about one, all was still. 
But no sooner did day dawn, than it w^as seen what for- 
midable preparations for defences had been made. In 
the Rue deRambuteau, a barricade had been constructed 
with tv/o dWgejices and the sentry-box of the Rue Lan- 
gerin, filled with paving-stones ; others were visible on 
the Rue St. Martin, near the Rue aux Ours, near St. 
Nicolas, near St. Mery, and at the corner of the Rue de 
la Verrerie ; there were many others, in Rue St. Croix 
de la Brettonerie, at the corner of the Rue des Billets, 
and in other quarters too numerous to mention. Mean- 
while the Executive had not been inactive. Cannon 
had been brought from Vincennes, and posted on the 
quais, in the Rue des Coquilles, near the Hotel de Ville 
and round the Tuileries. 

At an early hour the troops marched to dislodge the 
people, but the warm fire with which they were met, 
showed that they were now in force and armed. It was 
about the Quartier St. Martin des Champs, and round 
that of the Mont-de-Piete and the Temple, that the col- 

9 



94 THE NIGHT OF 

lision was lively and serious, particularly in the Rue 
Beaubourg, Rue Bourg I'Abbe, Rue Quincampois, Rue 
Grenebet, and the small neighbouriog streets. The 
emeute was now an insurrection. The barricades, at- 
tacked by troops of the line, Municipal Guard and 
Chasseurs de \'iucennes. opposed such a resistance, that 
manv of them had to be charged three or four times be- 
fore they could be captured. Thus, Rue Quincampoix. 
a barricade formed by tlie help of two diligences filled 
with stones, was vainly charged by the 69th regiment of 
infantry and the Chasseurs de Yincennes, three several 
times. The people never moved as long as they had 
ammunition. In the first attack twelve soldiers fell, in 
the second ten, more than the ministiy they were defend- 
ing was worth. At the fourth charge the troops were 
victorious. 

At the corner of the Rue de Tracy and the Rue St. 
Denis, a barricade, formed of carls, cars and hallots of 
merchandise taken from a shop, was desperately defend- 
ed ; in the Rue Philippeaux, the struggle took place so 
near, that a soldier of the 21st received the contents of a 
gun in his face ; the ball went throush his mouth, came out 
behind his ear, and killed one of the voltigeurs vvho was 
behind him. In the Rue Bourg I'Abbe, a numerous 
assemblage attacked the vrarehouse of the brothers Le- 
page, armourers. The doors were plated with iron, and 
so strongly fastened, as to defy every efibrt ; and while 
the people were warmly striving to open them, a detach- 
ment of soldiers and I\Iunicipal Guards came up, a 
struggle took place hand to hand, a man took aim with a 
pistol, which missed fire, and an officer of the Municipal 
Guard ran him through the body with a sword. 

Early in the morning, sixty men, preceded by a 
drum beating to arms, and led by an individual with a 
long beard, who waved in the air a tri-coloured flag, 
went through the whole quariier des HaUes. They 
endeavoured to make a barricade in the Rue des Prou- 



"THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 95 

vaires, but they soon gave up their design at the aspect 
of a squadron of Gardes 3Iimicipaux, which moved along 
the Rue St. Honore. They retired in disorder, expecting 
an attack, and re-formed themselves behind the point St. 
Eustache, passed before the part which is beside this 
church, without attacking it, crossed the Rue Montmar- 
tre, the Rue Neuve St. Eustache, and made a halt at 
the end of the Rue Poissonniere. During the whole of 
this time, they advanced in perfect silence, followed by 
a dense crowd of children. About ten were armed with 
muskets and bayonets, or double-barelled guns ; the rest 
brandished sticks and bars of iron. All the shops closed 
before them, while the windows were filled by curious 
spectators. Having, as I said, reached the Rue Poisson- 
niere, they stopped some vehicles and began to barricade. 
Their first redoubt was thrown up on the Rue Poisson- 
niere itself, a second, Rue de Clery, Vv^ith two coaches, 
the horses of which the coachman quietly led away. A 
third was erected in the Rue Neuve Saint-Eusiache, a 
fourth in the Rue du Petit Carreau, a little above the 
Rue Thevenot, without any hinderance being offered to 
them, and amidst the cheers of a large number of spec- 
tators. 

About half-past ten, a piquet of Municipal Guard, 
composed of about thirty men, came out from the Rue 
de Clery ; those who were behind the barricade were 
driven back, and took refuge behind that of the Rue 
Poissonniere. They did not fire one shot against the 
Municipal Guard, their guns being out of order, or with- 
out cartouches. The Municipals, however, fired a volley 
at those behind the barricade. Three men fell ; two 
were killed on the spot ; the rest retreated behind the 
redoubt of the Rue du Petit Carreau. The Municipals 
then went on their way without further attempt at at- 
tacking them; but half an hour afterwards, returned, 
and carried the place at the point of the bayonet. 

In several other instances, where they met with no 



96 THE ^'IGHT OF 

resistance, the ill-fated police fired volleys on the people, 
particularly in the Montorgeuil. About ten o'clock, the 
display of military force was tremendous. A detach- 
ment of the line, headed by a marechal-de-camp, took a 
position at the end of the Rue Poissonniere. Cries of t'/re 
la ligne ! and vive Je general ! were at once heard, and 
the conduct of the troops was of the mildest and most 
praiseworthy character : their efforts to push back the 
crowd, and promote circulation, were of the humanest 
kind. Round the markets, the display of force was 
equally great, there having in that part been much agi- 
tation. The soldiers were in part employed in facilita- 
ting the sale and purchase of provisions. Platoons of 
twenty men moved up and down the streets at a rapid 
pace, and thus prevented any great crowd congregating 
at any given point. 

In the quartier St. Denis, the body of a young work- 
man, shot through the heart by the Municipals, was 
carried about on a shutter, and every where this sad 
procession came, barricades arose as if by magic. About 
the Rue Porte St. Denis, the barricades were immense ; 
but the principal fighting — and it was battling here — 
was in the Rues Clamaire, Transnonain, Philippeaux, 
and the Rue Beaubourg. These posts were attacked 
and defended with audacity and vigour. 

In the Faubourg Poissonniere, the alarm was spread 
about eleven o'clock ; the shops were closed, and both 
masters and workmen turned out to join either the Na- 
tional Guard or the people. 

It would be impossible, and in fact, useless, to notice 
all the little acts of this eventful day, which was the eve 
of the fall of a great monarchy ; but I may mention a 
scene which took place in the quartier du Temple. A 
barricade had been formed at the corner of the Rue 
Vieille du Temple, and of the Rue St. Franqois. A 
battalion of the line, headed by a General, was ordered 
to the attack : at the moment he commanded his men to 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 97 

fire, an officer strove with his sword to beat down the 
muskets, but in vain. The soldiers fired, and many fell 
wounded. After this discharge, the military fell back 
on the Rue do I'Oseille ; at this moment, two hundred 
National Guards came out from the Rue de Poitou, cry- 
ing Vive la Reforme ! and follovv^ed by a dense mass of 
people, who were repeating the same cry. The troops, 
believing themselves attacked, fired in that direction ; 
a National Guard was killed, and two were wounded • 
but though an explanation took place, this did not fail to 
produce much exasperation in the minds of the civic 
soldiers. 

In the Rue St. Mery, a woman was shot. In the Rue 
du Petit Harlem, the Municipal Guard fired wholly un- 
provoked on an unarmed crowd, and wounded six ; but 
in the Rue St. Martin a very different scene took place. 
A formidable barricade had been erected. A company 
of soldiers of the line was ordered to take it by assault, 
when a lad of about fifteen, wrapping himself in a red 
cloth that, served as a flag, flev/ to the top of the barri- 
cade, knelt down, and cried out, " Fire now if you will !" 
The intrepid example of the gamin was immediately 
foUov/ed by some men,, who bared their breasts, and 
called on the soldiers to fire on unarmed men. The 
soldiers raised their guns, and refused to fire, amid loud 
cries of Vive la ligne ! 

A young man was arrested in the crowd which had 
stationed itself on the Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle, and 
been in the post opposite the Gymnase. His comrades 
collected around the place, and loudly demanded his lib- 
eration. The soldiers threatened to fire. " Never 
mind," cried the young men ; " do your duty, we will 
do ours;" and, despite the bayonets, they climbed the 
faqacle o^ihe post, entered through the window, delivered 
the prisoner, disarmed the soldiers, fired their guns in 
fhe air, amid loud cries of Vive la ligne ! and applause 

9* 



98 THE NIGHT OF 

from the multitude who witnessed this daring act of 
bravery. 

Meanwhile, other events were happening in other 
quarters of the town, in part influenced by these occur- 
rences, in part spontaneous. At seven in the morning, the 
general was beat for the National Guard, who were now 
seen hurrying in all directions to their posts. Every 
man as he went along was cheered by the crowd, and 
most answered the cries of vive la Pieforme ! with a sig- 
nificant mark of adhesion. At every mairie where they 
assembled, the greater number plainly stated that they 
came out, not to protect the ministry, but to endeavour 
to keep order, and to make a firm demonstration in fa- 
vour of Reform. The feeling of the civic troop at this 
hour may be conceived by the fact, that some hundred 
men and boys, with flags, sticks, and headed by children's 
drums — a circumstance which excited not even a smile 
— were allowed to cross the Place Vendome wholly un- 
molested. 

The 2nd Legion collected in large force, and w^as an- 
imated by a laudable spirit of conciliation. It said, in 
answer to an address from its Colonel, that though ready 
to co-operate in re-establishing order, they must, at the 
same time, express the true sentiments of the Parisian 
population, and protest against the system of the minis- 
try. They w^ould accept nothing less than electoral 
Reform. The disposition of the 2nd Legion being of 
this character, the Lieutenant-Colonel, M. Baignieres, 
went at two o'clock to the Duke de Nemours, and told 
him, in the most firm and energetic manner, that if the 
required concessions were not made to public opinion, he 
could no longer answer for his legion. 

The 3rd Legion collected in good order and large 
force, on the Place des Petits-Peres, where is situated the 
mairie of the third arrondissement. As fast as the pla- 
toons came in, they filled the air with cries of vive la 
Reforme ! a las les ministres ! The press was right 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 99 

then ; the Guizot administi'ation had no other strength 
than the King's friendship, the votes of a servile and 
purchased Chamber, and whatever military force they 
could depend on. The silent approval of the middle 
classes, of which the Dehats had so long boasted, was a 
mistake, and the profound effects of the Reform agita- 
tion were clearly visible in the attitude of the civic 
troops. At eleven o'clock, large, but utterly inoffensive 
crowds were formed on the Place des Petits-Peres ; a pla- 
toon of Municipal Guards charged through the street of 
the same name, and were about to enter the place, when 
an officer of the National Guard, M. Degousee, inter- 
posed between the people and the police, to prevent the 
effusion of blood. He stood before the bayonets, and 
beat them down with hi^ sword ; but the Municipal 
Guard, exasperated, would listen to nothing ; two of them 
crossed their bayonets on his breast, and immediately a 
whole battalion of the National Guard came to his assist- 
ance. They, being in force, were listened to, and the 
officer led his men back to their barracks. About twelve, 
M. Besson, Peer of France, who commanded this legion, 
having become convinced of the sentiments which ani- 
mated his men, went to the head-quarters of the Civic 
Guard, and reported the state of things to General Jac- 
quemont, who again informed the King of the circum- 
stance. 

In the the afternoon, 1 was in the Rue de Rivoli, 
under the Duchess of Orleans' windows, and witnessed 
a singular sight. A body of National Guard, headed by 
their officer, occupied one side of the pavement, while on 
the other were about two thousand of the people, crying 
aloud, Vive la Reforme ! and compelling all those in ve- 
hicles who passed, to do the same. Every now and 
then, the National Guard moved a little, and then halted, 
the most perfect understanding seeming to exist between 
them and the people. At every window of the Palace, 
were pale and anxious faces, among whom, 1 have rea- 



100 THE NIGHT OF 

son to believe, at one time were several members of tbe 
royal family. Presently, an orderly officer came out, 
and asked what the National Guard demanded. One 
single cry from the civic troops and people v/as the 
reply, '• A has Gidzot ! Vive la Rtforme /" The 
orderly said nothing, but hurriedly returned to the 
palace. 

At eleven o'clock, two companies of the line, in the 
Rue de Clery, were about to rush upon the people, bayo- 
nets fi.xed. A man was dashed down upon the pave- 
ment. M. Perree, Captain of the 2d Legion, advanced 
to the officer and bego;ed him to stay his men, and to let 
them move along quietly, so as not to alarm and hurt the 
spectators. The officers bowed to this request, and pain- 
ful scenes were avoided. 

About three in the afternoon, a great part of the 4th 
Legion, unarmed, went to the Chamber of Deputies, to 
have an interview with M. Cremieux. They were 
stopped on the Plaice de la Concorde by a detachment of 
the 10th Legion, and sent forward a single delegate, M. 
Haguette, with their petitions. M. Cremieux came out 
and informed them that the National Guard had pro- 
nounced the arret de mort of the Ministry, which had at 
once fallen. 

M. Montalivet, Colonel of the 13th Legion, after the 
National Guard cavalry had done good service during 
the day, thanked them in the King's name, and informed 
them of the dismissal of Ministers. He then said, " Now, 
go home, all is finished ; but to-morrow, be ready at 
your post, for there is no ministry, and on the National 
Guard solely depends public order. The absence of 
many of your comrades to-day, is a circumstance much 
to be regretted, and you should the more warmly be 
thanked for the support you have given to the Govern- 
ment." An officer advanced and said, "Colonel, the 
National Guard a cheval have not to-day, by their pres- 
ence, adhered to the Ministry, they have come to stand 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 101 

by order, and the institutions of July." M. Montalivet 
replied, '• My sentiments are known, I have not to ex- 
press them here ; the uniform I wear weighs on me, and 
prevents me saying all I would ; but I still cry with 
you, Vivent Us insiituiions formees en Juillet ! Vive le 

roi r 

In the 10th Legion, a very significative fact was re- 
marked. At seven o'clock, the rappel was beat through 
all the streets where dwelt the members of the Legion. 
Very few National Guards answered the appeal, but 
several devoted and earnest men accompanied the drums, 
and entering their houses brought them out. In this 
manner, one or two battalions were collected. The 
Colonel, M. Lemercier — and be it observed, the Colonels 
were all creatures of the Government — now presented 
himself, and addressing the Legion, demanded that they 
should march to re-establish public order. A National 
Guard, M. B- — — , stepped out of the ranks, and replied, 
that the Colonel seemed very much to misunderstand the 
intention of the Legion, that they were willing to march 
for the re-establishment of public order, but that, above 
all, they demanded electoral Reform, and the instant 
dismissal of a ministry which the country universally 
detested, and that, therefore, the Legion were assembled 
to cry a has les ministres ! and Vive la Reforme ! The 
battalion replied with one voice, seconded the address of 
their colleagues, and cried, Vive la Reforme ! A has 
Guizot ! Colonel Lemercier here dismounted from his 
horse, and sought to reason with the men, but was met 
with one unanimous shout in favour of Reform. 

Just after this colloquy, a gentleman in plain clothes 
shouted out Vive la Reforme ; the Colonel, who up to 
this moment had been bursting with rage, at the want of 
passive obedience in his Legion, seeking to vent his 
rage on some one, collared the shouter, and ordered his 
soldiers to arrest him. The guards replied, that the gen- 
tleman expressed their own opinions and they should not 



102 THE NIGHT OF 

touch him. upon which Colonel Lemercier, in high dud- 
geon, mounted his horse and rode away. 

Meanwhile, in the Chamber of Deputies, a dramatic 
scene was taking place. M. Vavin announced his inten- 
tion of questioning Ministers as to the state of the capital. 
The aspect of the house was even more exciting than the 
day before. Rumours of fighting came every instant ; at 
one time it was said the Chamber was invaded by the 
National Guard. Petitions in favour of electoral Reform 
were presented by M. Cremieux. The sitting ^i^'as mo- 
mentarily suspended in the absence of Guizot, who pre- 
sently entered, accompanied by Salvandy, Jayr, Dumon, 
Hebert, and Cunin-Gridaine. M. Vavin rose, and de- 
manded why the National Guard had not been called out 
in the first instance, and asserted, that had this been 
done, there would have been no collisions of any conse- 
quence. M. Guizot, who was now pale and agitated, 
refused to reply to the questions of M. Vavin, but an- 
nounced that M. Mole was with the Kino;, endeavourino; 
to form an administration. At this point of his address, 
the whole centre burst into loud exclamations, and ap- 
peared petrified with astonishment and grief; with many, 
the expression of countenance was visible, you saw the 
fear of losing place and office in every play of their mus- 
cles ; in the tribunes there was a burst of applause, but 
on the opposition benches there v/as utter silence. Mole 
for Guizot was a mere comedy to trick the people, which 
every body saw through. It is incomprehensible, were 
not the whole conduct of Louis Philippe that of one be- 
wildered by events, how the King could have supposed 
that this would satisfy the people. The Opposition were, 
of course, as hostile as ever, and the Mole cabinet would, 
in fact, have been a mere stop-gap, while the excitement 
lasted. In fact, it was notorious in the palace, and I say 
this deliberately, that Louis Philippe, the moment the 
emeute was over, and Bugeaud was fairly at the head of 



THE 22ND AND THE 23ED. 103 

the troops and the National Guard, would have recalled 
Guizot. The King was not to be trusted 

No sooner was Guizot silent, than the sitting was 
suspended ; many of the Conservatives rushed towards 
Guizot and questioned him, some angrily, some with re- 
gret. An effort was then made to withdraw the accusa- 
tion of Ministers, but the majority refused ; the Chamber 
adjourned at half-past four, amid the utmost clamour. A 
public silting was announced for the next day on the 
question of the Bordeaux Bank. 

It will be seen, that this day the fall of Guizot was 
inevitable. On the Tuesday, at the Tuileries, nothing 
but confidence was felt. The King, in high spirits, spoke 
with an English gentleman from Brighton, on private 
business connected with one of his estates ; there was an 
excitement it is true ; every five minutes reports were 
brought to the monarch by aides-de-camp, and by the se- 
cret police, many of whom had personal interviews with 
Louis Philippe. The impression on the minds of both 
Ministers, Princes, and King, was, that there vras effer- 
vescence, but nothing serious. But M. Thiers appa- 
rently thought otherwise, having visited the Duchess of 
Orleans, and had a long interview with her. The desire 
of this statesman to see the widowed mother of the infant 
heir to the throne of France appointed Regent was well 
known, and when the Regency Bill was passed, his wish 
would in all probability have been accomplished, had not 
the Queen's and Madame Adelaide's Catholic prejudices 
against a Protestant prevailed. Marshal Bugeaud, and 
the other Generals who visited the different quarters of 
Paris on the Tuesday, reported that there was no chance 
of an insurrection, that none but a few boys and rabble 
were inclined to move. At the same time, they assured 
the monarch that the plans arranged to quash any revo- 
lutionary movement were such that no fear could be en- 
tertained of the result. 

The Duke de Nemours and a section of the staff vis- 



104 THE NIGHT OF 

ited various parts of Paris during that day, and seemed 
to think all looked well ; but had they gone among the 
people as I did, they would on Tuesday night have 
trembled. On Wednesday, however, it was impossible 
to conceal from the King, that the movement was general, 
that the people were flying to arms, that barricades were 
rising in every quarter, and worse than all, the Colonels 
of the National Guard reported, one after another, that 
their men demanded, nay, insisted on the dismissal of 
Guizot. The Generals of the line were interrogated. 
Not one would answer for the troops, if the National 
Guard sided with the people. The saying of an artillery 
officer near the Hotel de Ville was reported. " Fire on 
the people ? no ! Fire on the people who pay us ? we 
shall do nothing of the kind. If we have to choose be- 
tween massacreing our brothers, and abandoning the 
monarchy, there can be no hesitation." Louis Philippe 
saw the critical nature of the position, and hesitated no 
longer. Guizot and his colleagues were dismissed. I 
have reason to believe, the good sense of the Duke de 
Nemours principally brought about this result. 

Still the news did not spread with the requisite rapi- 
dity ; nor, where known, did it always give that satis- 
faction which was expected, the people demanding guar- 
antees. Several maires and adjoints went about to the 
barricades, spreading the news ; generally where it was 
made known the firing ceased. But in the Rue du Tem- 
ple, the ii'on grilles were torn down, and two barricades 
made, which were carried by the line, after a fight. In 
the Rue Richelieu, and near the Op^ra Comique, where 
the National Guard were singing the Marsellaise, there 
was very nearly being a collision between them and the 
Cuirassiers, but the officers prevented it. 

In the Rue St. Martin, two pieces of cannon were 
directed against the barricade, when a company of the 
3d Legion stepped before them, and JVIessieurs Dubochet 
and Sanche, officers, cried aloud — " Do not fire, unless 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 105 

you fire on us. We are the men to keep order, and will 
prevent bloodshed." 

About two o'clock, a body of Municipal Guards came 
from the Rue Neuve Bourg I'Abbe, and at once fired on 
a knot of people in earnest conversation. Three persons 
fell. In the Rue St. Denis, the same body fired at those 
who stood at the windows. In this neighbourhood the 
fighting lasted all day. Every hour the people were 
becoming very numerous. 

In the Rue Maubuee, the post was captured, pulled 
to pieces, and a barricade made of the remains, while 
arms were freely thrown to the people out of the window. 
Not an instant did the insurgents cease their preparations 
in this quarter, while scenes of a dramatic and extraordi- 
nary nature were occurring in every part of the city. 
It is impossible to record a tithe of them. There is one 
which, however, I cannot omit. About six, or half-past 
six, fifty of the Municipal Guard were shut up in the 
court-yard of a liquoriste of the Rue Bourg I'Abbe, in 
which were the warehouses of Lepage, the armourer. 
A company of the 6th Legion occupied the doorway, but 
the population, irritated at the odious and unnecessary 
brutality of the Municipal Guard, yelled forth cries of a 
most alarming nature. The National Guard of the 6th 
Legion ran from all sides to reinforce their comrades, 
but the people came a hundred times more numerous. 
Some troops of the 7th regiment of the line were sent to 
reinforce the civic troops. Loud cries of "Let them be 
disarmed," filled the air, and formed a terrible chorus. 
A body of the National Guard entered to parley with 
the prisoners ; the Maire and the Colonel of the 6th Le- 
gion arrived, but the Municipals were still afraid to trust 
themselves to the immense crowd who demanded ven- 
geance for the blood of the people which had been shed. 

After, however, about an hour spent in parleying and 
hesitation, the Municipals consented to come out com- 
pletely disarmed, and one after another. The troops of 

10 



106 THE NIGHT OF 

the line enfiladed the street, and protected by the arms 
of the National Guard ; the v/retched prisoners issued 
forth amid the cries of " a has la Garde MunicipaU /" 
Their confident and insolent manner of the morning was 
gone, and replaced by an air of abject terror. The ex- 
asperation of the people was at its height, as the remem- 
brance of the events of the day rose in their minds. The 
Municipals immediately were ordered to take off their 
shakos. A National Guard — a decore of July — told 
them they must obey, and they submitted. In this way 
this sti-an^e and wonderful corteo;e started. The armed 
police of Paris prisoners of the people, after having all 
day fired upon them. At the head of a squadron of 
Cuirassiers, the troops of the line were at each side ; 
around, the National Guard, officers and men, and then 
the real masters and conquerors — the people. 

In this way the procession went down the Rue Bourg 
I'Abbe, the Rue aux Ours, the Rue Rambuteau, the 
Marche des Innocens, the Rue St. Denis, the Place du 
Chatelet, the Quai des Guerres. and every where the 
cortege was joined by masses of people with torches, 
arms, sticks, and singing the Marseillaise and ' Mourir 
pour la Patrie.' About the middle of the quay, the ca- 
vahy, by a dexterous manoeuvre, stopped the popular 
flot on the pavement, and the procession was able to pro- 
ceed v,'ith less crowding to the Place de I'Hotel de Ville, 
occupied by artillery and formidable forces. Here the 
disarmed Municipal Guard were safe, and warmly 
thanked their preservers. 

Towards seven o'clock, the general aspect of Paris 
v/as peaceable. On the Petit Bourse, near the Opera, 
the funds had risen forty centimes on the arlival of the 
news that the ministrj'- had been dismissed. Aides-de- 
camp and General Officers galloped here and there, pro- 
claiming the intelligence. Every where the people de- 
livered the prisoners made during the day, and then they 
went away rejoicing. 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 107 

Nevertheless, the barricades were not abandoned. 
The strongest and most artistically made were guarded 
by some hundreds of young men, between the Rue du 
Temple and the Rue St. Martin, and about the Rue 
Transnonain. Though repeatedly told of the dismissal 
of Guizot, they replied that they must have guarantees, 
and with this they posted sentries at every issue, and pre- 
pared to bivouac for the night, many without food, many 
without fire. Among these were numbers of the better 
classes, who had placed Mouses over their clothes and 
joined the people, to encourage and direct them. 

Betv/een eight and nine o'clock, darkness having 
completely set in, the streets began to present an un- 
usual aspect — that of an illumination. With rare ex- 
ceptions, at every window of the lofty houses on the 
quarter of the Tuileries, candles or lavnps v/ere placed, 
and by their light could be seen ladies and gentlemen 
looking down upon the dense and happy crowd who 
filled the streets to overflowing. Loud cheers greeted 
the presence of the spectators, while groans and threats 
of demolishing their v/indows were the punishm.ent of the 
sulky ^e.\Y who refused to join in the general manifesta- 
tion. They gained nothing by it, but to let their ill will 
be seen, for the populace compelled them to follow the 
general example. All, however, was gayety and good 
humour. 

After Vi^itnessing the fine coiip-cVcsil presented by the 
Rue St. Honore, the longest street in the world, I believe, 
I attempted to gain the Boulevards by the Place Ven- 
dome. I found it, however, occupied by a dense mass of 
some ten thousand men, who were striving to force the 
denizens of the Hotel de Justice to light up. As no at- 
tention was paid to their demand, and Hebert, the fa- 
mous inventor of the system of moral complicite, was pe- 
culiarly hated, they began to break his windows, and 
even set fire to the planks which shelved off from the 
door, as well as to the sentry box. A heavy body of 



108 THE NIGHT OF 

Cuirassiers, however, and several detachments of Na- 
tional Guards came down, and using vigorous, but 
gentle measures, re-established order. To lessen the 
crowd, they drew a line across the Rue Castiglione, and 
allowed no one to pass. Standing in the crowd, 1 heard 
many Republicans conversing. Their tone was that of 
bitter disappointment. They said that the people were 
deceived, that a Mole ministry was a farce, and that if 
the populace laid down their arms, it would be but to 
take them up again. Still the majority rejoiced. To 
have carried this point was a great thing, and no greater 
proof of the patriotism of the working men can be given. 
They gained nothing by the change but mental satisfac- 
tion, with which a vast majority seemed amply satisfied. 

But a terrible and bloody tragedy was about to change 
the aspect of the whole scene. 

About a quarter past ten, while on my way, by 
another route, to the Boulevards, I suddenly, with others, 
was startled by the aspect of a gentleman, who, without 
his hat, ran madly into the middle of the street, and 
began to harangue the passers by, ^- Anx amies !'^ he 
cried, " we are betrayed. The soldiers have slaughter- 
ed a hundred unarmed citizens by the Hotel des Capucines. 
Vengeance !" and having aiven the details of the affair, 
he hurried to carry the intelligence to other quarters. 
The effect was electric ; each man shook his neighbour 
by the hand, and far and wide the word was given that 
the whole system must fall. 

As this tragic event sealed the fate of the Orleans 
dynasty, 1 have been at some pains to collect a correct 
version of it, and I have every reason to believe those 
who were eye-witnesses will bear me out in mv descrip- 
tion. I went immediately as near to the spot as possible, 
I conversed to numerous parlies who saw it, and myself 
saw many of the immediate consequences. 

The Boulevards were, like all the other streets, bril- 
liantly illuminated, and every where immense numbers 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 109 

of promenaders walked up and down, men, women, and 
children, enjoying the scene, and rejoicing that the terri- 
fic struggle of the day had ceased. The trottoirs were 
quite covered, while the carriage way, in part occupied 
by cavalry, was continually filled by processions of stu- 
dents, working men, and others, who sang songs of 
triumph at their victory. Round the Hotel des Capu- 
cines, where Guizot resided, there was a heavy force of 
military, of troops of the line, dragoons, and Municipal 
Guard, who occupied the pavement and forced every 
one on to the carriage way. A vast crowd, principally 
of accidental spectators, ladies, gentlemen, English, etc., 
in fact, curious people in general, were stationed watch- 
ing a few men and boys who tried to force the inmates 
to light up. 

For some time all was tranquil, but presently a col- 
umn of students and artisans, unarmed, but singing 
• Moiirir ijour la patrie,^ came down the Boulevards ; at 
the same instant a gun was heard, and the 14th regi- 
ment of line levelled their muskets and fired. The scene 
which followed was awful. Thousands of men, women, 
children, shrieking, bawling, raving, were seen flying 
in all directions, while sixty-two men, women, and lads, 
belonging to every class of society, lay v/eltering in their 
blood upon the pavement. Next minute an awful roar, 
the first breath of the popular indignation was heard, and 
then av/ay flev/ the students, artisans, the shopkeepers, 
all, to carry the news to the most distant parts of the 
city, and to rouse the population to arms against a Gov- 
ernment, whose satellites murdered the people in this 
atrocious manner. 

A squadron of Cuirassiers now charged, sword in 
hand, over dead and wounded, amid useless cries of 
"mind the fallen," and drove the people before them. 
The sight was awful. Husbands were seen dragging 
their fainting wives from the scene of massacre ; fathers 
snatching up their children, with pale faces and clenched 



110 THE NIGHT OF 

teeth, hurried avv^ay to put their young ones in safety, 
and then to come out in arms against the nionarchy. 
Women clung to railings, trees, or to the wall, or fell 
fainting on the stones. More than a hundred persons 
who saw the soldiers level, fell in time to save their lives, 
and then rose and hastened to quit the spot. Utter stran- 
gers shook hands and congratulated one another on their 
escape. 

In a few minutes, a Deputy of the Opposition, M. 
Courtais, now commanding the National Guard, was on 
the spot and making inquiries into the causes of this 
fearful affair. 

" Sir," said he, warmly addressing the Colonel in 
command, " you have committed an action, unworthy of 
a French soldier." 

The Colonel, overwhelmed with sorrow and shame, 
replied, that the order to fire was a mistake. It appear- 
ed that a ball, from a* gun which went off accidentally, 
had struck his horse's les;, and that thinkino; he was at- 
tacked, he had ordered a discharge. 

" Monsieur le Colonel," added the honourable De- 
puty, " you are a soldier, I believe in your good faith ; 
but remember that an awful responsibility rests on vour 
head." 

Tremendous, indeed, for he had sealed the fate of the 
tottering Monarchy ! 

A word before we proceed. When the proclamation 
was made that the Guizot ministry had been dismissed, 
the military were gradually withdrawn, and wherever 
this occurred, tranquillity followed. No serious attacks 
were made upon any public building ; in fact, the people 
contented themselves with breaking a few windows : 
everywhere the cry '^ des lampiojis,'' was not obeyed. 
M. Guizot, however, conscious of the intense hatred 
which was felt towards him, kept his house guarded like 
a fortress. The display of military force was tremen- 
dously imposing, both within and without the hotel. Had 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD, 111 

none been stationed outside, whatever he had in, the 
causes which kept crowds standing round, would have 
been removed, and the people would not have been irri- 
tated. It was the over-care of his own person shown by M. 
Guizot, which caused this frightful catastrophe. Like 
every other event of this great week, with all its mo- 
mentous consequences, this is to be traced to the utter 
incapacity of Guizot, in politics, une grande incapacite 
meconnue, as was said of Louis Phillippe. 

Meanwhile, Courtais had hurried to the National of- 
fice, while a body of men, now no longer hindered by the 
soldiers, proceeded to remove the heaps of dead and dy- 
ing, whose groans must have been plainly heard by the 
ex-minister in his hotel. The wounded, and those bodies 
which were claimed, were borne to houses in the neigh- 
bourhood, while some of the National Guards in uniform 
were carried to their respective ?nairies, every where as 
the bloody banner of insurrection. Seventeen corpses; 
however, were retained and placed upon a truck. Ghast- 
ly was the spectacle by torch and gas-light, of that heap 
of dead, a few minutes before alive, merry, anxious, full 
of hopes, and perhaps, lofty aspirations for their country. 
Round about were men, no less pale and ghastly, bear- 
ing pikes and torches, while others drew the awful cart- 
load along. 

Away they go, big with ^-evolution and vengeance. 
Every where as they move, preceded by a red flag, they 
cried amid choking sobs, for many wept with grief and 
rage : " They have been assassinated, but we will 
avenge them. Give us arms ! arms ! arms !" Along 
the Boulevard proceeds this dreadful procession ; win- 
dows fly up as they go by, and those who expected to see 
Sifeu dejoie, behold a hearse covered with bleeding bodies, 
that leave red traces as they go. Every where on their 
path men come out of the houses with arms, and join the 
people, merchants, clerks, artisans, all, for they will now 
have no Mole Ministry, but will shatter the crown won 



112 THE NIGHT OF 

for the monarch hy the blood of his people, who were 
then slain to preserve him in a position which has long- 
been forfeited in the hearts of all Frenchmen. 

They arrive under the windows of the National, and 
with loud cries those men in whom the people have con- 
fidence are called out. M. Gamier Pages, Armand Mar- 
rast. and others present themselves. They are shown 
the bodies, those faces on which the expression previous 
to death still lingers, those pale and still visages, those 
hearts which have ceased to beat, those beings whose 
soul is with their Maker; before w^hom will one day ap- 
pear their assassins. The editor and his friends are too 
much moved to speak ; a boy puts his fingers on a gaping 
wound, and holding them up to heaven cries, " See them I 
I swear to wash away the stain only when they are 
avenged." 

M. Garnier Pages addressed the people, assuring 
them that justice should be done, and then the men of 
the National retired to consult. Wliat their decision was 
may be guessed, for before midnight they were sounding 
the tocsin from the summit of their house. 

Meanvv'hile, the procession continued on its way to 
fan the fiame of insurrection. Three thousand men^ 
troops of the line, passed them going down to the Tuile- 
ries. This added to the exasperation of the people. 
Every where behind the cortege rose barricades, even in 
the Rue Yienne, on the rich Boulevards, and elsewhercy 
where the wealthy classes resided, this class freely join- 
ing in the movement. On they v/ent tov/ards the Ke- 
Jorme, the organ of the ultra Republican party, in the 
Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau. The chief editor^ M. Fer- 
dinand Flocon, came out, and addressing the people, told 
them they should have justice. The people replied by 
the cry : aux annes t and the procession pursued its 
way. 

In two hours the terrible news was known over all 
Paris. Men came down from the faubouro-s, durins: the 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 113 

night three thousand arrived by a monster train from 
Rouen, with arms and artillery. All thoughts of slum- 
ber were abandoned. Groups stood at the corners of the 
streets. One word alone was heard, c'^est infame ! Every 
where barricades arose as if by magic. All night the 
population laboured, and the number of persons so en- 
gaged may be conceived, when I say, that upwards of 
two thousand barricades of the most formidable char- 
acter were erected. J mention this, to show how errone- 
ous are the accounts of people, who write about a week 
afterwards, when for the first time they ventured into the 
streets, that comparatively few persons joined in the in- 
surrection. Not less than one hundred and fifty thousand 
men — people, and National Guards — passed that night in 
fortifying themselves behind almost impregnable ram- 
parts, which would have cost many thousand lives to 
have carried, had the troops remained faithful to the sys- 
tem. When I sa}^, that across the whole width of the 
Boulevard St. Denis, a barricade twelve feet high, prin- 
cipally composed of paving-stones, was erected, while 
another defended the entrance of the street of a similar 
character, some idea may be formed of the labours of 
the people. The same took place at intervals to the 
Place de la Bastille, while tremendous ones were erected 
round the Porte St. Denis. In the narrow streets they 
were often up to the first-floor windows, and defended 
from the apartments, so that some two thousand combats 
would have been required to carry them all — if carried 
they could have been. 

While this was going on round the quarters Mont- 
martre and the Marais, the left bank of the Seine, usually 
so still, began to move. The students returning to the 
Boulevards, to the haunts of science, aristocracy, literature, 
and misery, spread the account of the awful catastrophe 
of the Rue des Capucines. The irritation became ex- 
treme. Since morning the attitude of the Faubourg St. 
Marceau, and the quarter of the schools had been menac- 



114 THE NIGHT OF 

ing. During the evening, the shops of some of the 
armourers had been forced, and later in the night, a num. 
ber of young men, headed by students of the Polytechnic 
school — who had scaled the walls and joined the rioters 
to a man — entered the Church of St. Sulpice, and in a 
minute the sound of the tocsin booming on the night air, 
still further startled the population. 

M. Boulay (de la Meurthe,) Colonel of the 11th 
Legion of National Guard ordered the rajppel to be 
sounded, but very few obeyed the appeal. Some were 
already at the barricades, others refused to turn out to 
save the falling dynasty. Those that did, received as 
usual no ammunition. Still, they formed themselves into 
an immense patrol, and went about the different quarters 
of the arrondissement which was now quiet, though dis- 
charges of musketry were beard in the distance. 

In the middle of the night, M. Demonts, Maire of the 
11th arrondissement, camiC and informed the National 
Guard bivouacked at the mairie, that the Mole Ministry 
had retired, and that Thiers and Barrot were ordered to 
form a cabinet. The National Guard received the an- 
nouncement in dead silence. It was clear they desired 
more than the retreat of a ministry. 



The following, from a graphic actor in the scenes 
of the Revolution, will show the efforts made by the 
Republicans. 

" One of the Republicans, who from the 22nd, best 
judged the situation, was Etienne Arago. In the lobby 
of the Chamber of Deputies, he said, in talking with 
Citizen Flocon, that there was nothing less than a 
Revolution at the bottom of the intended grand Reform 
demonstration. 

" Jn the evening, at a meeting of some Republicans, 
which was held in the office of the Refonne.he ably sus- 
tained the same opinion. 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 115 

'^ Towards ten o'clock, he went out accompanied by 
the citizen Gouache to visit the barricades, which had 
been thrown up at the top of the Rue Tiquetonne. Some 
discharges, fired by the Municipal Guards for the pur- 
pose of clearing the street, forced them to retire. This, 
however, did not prevent M. Arago from renewing his 
walk of observation an hour later in company with 
Charles Didier. Early next morning, he left his house 
accompanied by Ribeyrolles, and went dressed as a 
National Guard to the Place des Petits-Peres, where he 
endeavoured, by great force of language, to persuade 
the National Guard that they ought to cry something 
else than ' Vive la Reformed and demand somewhat m.ore 
than MM. Thiers or OdiHon Barrot for Ministers. But 
M. Arago liad only a single gun, and he managed to pro- 
cure one also for ^^everal of his friends who had sought 
for arms in vp^i^* FoJ" this purpose, he commenced by 
giving hi? xnusket, and immediately after presented him- 
self to several crov/ds of National Guards as a volunteer, 
who, seeing that he was unarmed, presented him with a 
gun. By this means, he succeeded in arming several of 
his less skilful friends. In thus proceeding, good fortune 
conducted him to the Rue Tiquetonne, where Captain 
Jouanne was collecting together his brave fellow citizens. 

" Again his plan succeeded, another gun was given 
him by a National Guard, whom illness hindered from 
making use of it ; M. Arago then placed himself in the 
ranks, calling out • Vive la Republique !' as yet but lit- 
tle heard— but which, by degrees, found an echo amongst 
companions whom chance had given him, and which was 
soon after heard from all parts of the crowd, during a 
long; march through the streets and Boulevards. In the 
evening, towards seven o clock, at the moment wnen the 
insurrection movement, a little abated by the announce- 
ment of the overthrow of the Guizot Ministry, every where 
recom.menced its course, the Rue Bourg St. Abbe vyas 
the theatre of one of the most extraordinary scenes which 



116 THE NIGHT OF 

occurred during our three immortal days. Cooped up, 
and surrounded on all sides by thousands of armed peo- 
ple, fifty Municipal Guards took refuge in one of the 
houses of this street. The door, a feeble protection 
against such outward force, as yet, for a few minutes 
saved them from the vengeance of the insurgents, who 
had lately seen their brothers fall from the bayonets and 
balls of these ferocious defenders of an expiring monar- 
chy. Frenzied and furious, the crowd pressed forward, 
and being collected in a solid mass in front of the house, 
but one dreadful sound was heard resembling the roaring 
of a tempest, and whic\i sent up to heaven only the echo 
of the word ' vengeance !' 

The tide of popular fury roaos at each moment, and the 
storm became quickly more inteixse and more terrible. 
The fatal hour appeared to have arrived, and the escape 
of the fifty besieged soldiers to be beyorvi the reach of 
human power. 

In this critical moment, a National Guard ai^ived at 
the door of the fatal house. His name was pronou^aced 
by two or three friends as he forced his way through the 
crowd, who opened their ranks before him — it was 
Etienne Arago. He entered the court-yard, where was 
also M. Segaias, Captain of the National Guard ; Colo- 
nel Husson. Maire of the sixth arrondissement, and a few 
National Guards. 

'' ' What can be done, to save these unfortunate men V 

" ' Let U3 open a partition wall in the house, so that 
they may escape by the neighbouring street, after having 
laid down their arms.' 

" 'But the people will be furious on hearing of their 
flight.' 

" ' Perhaps so ; however, we shall have done our 
duty.' 

This advice was not listened to, 

" ' All is over,' said an officer of the National Guard, 
who had just arrived with his company at the house 



THE 22ND AND THE 23RD. 117 

where these events were taking place. ' Let us go home 
— the Guizot Ministry is overthrown.' 

" ' Nothing is yet finished,' cried out M. Arago ; 
* we are only beginning !' 

" The crowd, animated by his words, pressed round 
him, knowing well that when the democracy is engaged 
in a struggle, it lays not down its arms until after victory. 

" A long half hour passed away, during which M. 
Arago, sometimes addressing himself to the National 
Guards, sometimes to the irritated crowd, endeavoured to 
make an appeal to those sentiments of generosity which 
never lie dormant in the hearts of Frenchmen. At 
length he obtained pardon for the condemned Municipal 
Guards; but the people, become judge and sovereign 
master, imperiously demanded that their vanquished ad^ 
versaries should retire unarmed, and with their heads 
bare. 

" The door having been opened, M. Arago announced 
to the soldiers the will of the people. The most part he- 
sitated ; they thought their death inevitable ; they wished 
to retain their arms, to sell their lives dearly, and to die 
in combat. Their resistance was a length conquered by 
a formal engagement given them by M. Arago and some 
National Guards who were present, who promised to pro- 
tect them from the vengeance of the crowd. The de- 
tachment was then ranged close by the door of the house. 

" ' Hats off!' cried the crowd, on seeing them march 
along, conducted by National Guards. 

"'Hats off!' repeated M. Arago, addressing the 
prisoners. The Municipal Guard seemed to hesitate. 

" ' Hats off before the people !' again cried M. Arago, 
in a louder voice. ' To-day it is the people who com- 
mand.' Officers and soldiers uncovered themselves. A 
small detachment of Cuirassiers, who happened by chance 
to arrive, helped to open the passage for them. The 
Municipal Guards defiled in single order. Lieutenant 
Bouvier, who was last, took the arm of M. Arago. Se- 
ll 



118 THE NIGHT OF 

veral National Guards, and other citizens, marched at 
the side of the disarmed soldiers. A small number of 
troops of the line also assisted towards their protection. 

However, at the sight of these men, who had scat- 
tered so many victims round them, the rage of the people 
was renewed. In the narrow streets which they tra- 
versed, the blouses of the workmen rubbed against the 
clothes of those men stained with the blood of the mar- 
tyrs. The contact revived the hatred against them, and 
as they passed along, pale and trembling, they received 
many blows, and thousands of cries were raised both 
against them and against M. Arago, their deliverer. 

" ' They have killed our brothers ! Let us have 
vengeance on them !' 

" ' I have promised to save them,' replied M. Arago, 
calmly and collectedly ; ' and I will save them, or you 
shall kill me first.' 

" ' But are you then their friend ? Have you, also, 
shed the blood of the people ?' 

" The only answer which M. Arago made was to 
mention his name, and to show his cross of July, on 
which the people who were near ceased from their 
menaces ; but those who stood at a distance still contin- 
ued their cries of vengeance, and there was some 
danger that the gallant defender of the Municipal Guards 
would be sacrificed without being able to save those for 
whom he had risked his life. 

"The party walked slowly along the Rue Bourg 
I'Abbe, the Rue aux Ours, a portion of the Rue Ram- 
buteau, le Marche des Innocens, la Rue St. Denis, until 
the Place du Chatelet, where they arrived on the quay. 

" ' Throw the wretches into the water !' cried the 
crowd, in the most ferocious accents. 

" Lieutenant Bouvier drew close to M. Arago, and 
said to him, in a voice of despair, 

" ' To die ! To die torn to pieces ! And my brother 
has fallen this same year in Africa. I have a wife and 
children]' 



THE 2-2ND AND THE 23RD. 119 

" ' Take courage,' answered M. Arago, holding him 
firmly by the arm. ' Before they can touch you, they 
first must kill me.' 

" An hour passed away, which appeared an age, 
when, by a clever manoeuvre of the cavalry, the crowd 
was driven off the quai, and tlie Municipal Guards ar- 
rived at the Hotel de Ville, which was defended by 
troops of all kinds. 

" Tliey here pressed round M. Arago, and expressed 
their warmest gratitude for so nobly saving them from 
the fury of the people. 

" ' Yes,' exclaimed the brother of the illustrious as- 
tronomer, ' I have saved you ; but recollect well that you 
owe your lives to a Republican. To-morrow — perhaps, 
even this evenins:, the combat will continue in the streets. 
1 count on your honour, that you will not again be found 
in arms against your brothers.' 

" This appeal to their honour, was it understood ? 
We would hope so ; and the next day, at twelve o'clock, 
when the bails rained round M. Arago, bravely fighting 
wilh his companions on the place of the Palais Royal, it 
is consoling to believe that not one of the muskets turned 
against him was in the hands of any of those soldiers 
whose lives he had preserved the evening before at the 
risk of his own." 



120 THE LAST NISHT OF 



CHAPTER VIIL 

THE LAST ^■IGBT OF THE FEE2a'CH MONASCHr. 

At the Tuileries, meanwhile, where were congregat- 
ed the monarch and his court, the princes and all the 
summer friends that hover about royalty., a very striking 
series of historical scenes, one day. doubtless, to be re- 
corded fully by eye-witnesses, was taking place. On 
the Monday, the King had showm considerable anxiety 
respecting the decision of the Opposition, relative to the 
forbidding of the Banquet. [Te feared, doubtless, that 
they would resist, as Lamaitine, de Boissy, Cremieux, 
d' Alton Shee, and others, wished to have done. When, 
hov/ever, the Minister came to him fix)m the Chamber of 
Deputies, and related the pacific speech of Barrot, his 
satisfaction knevr no bounds. It is reported that he even 
joked upon the intended demonstration, inviting his 
guests to a Banquet, and playing several times on the 
word " Reform.'"' He attempted not to disguise his good 
feelinsr towards Guizot and Duchatel durina; the course 
of the evening, and even when entering into all the 
plans for putting down an emeuf-e, seemed too confident 
in his own power to dread any attempt even at revolution. 

What his temper was on the next morning may be 
gathered from the following narrative, which, as ema- 
nating, I have every reason to believe, from one of the 
parties concerned, cannot be misplaced. It is,- in fact, a 
scene w^hich liistory v.-ill adopt and remember. 

" Mr. Packham left Brighton on Sunday, the 13th of 
February, for the purpose of superintending the erection 



THE FRENCH MONARCHY. 121 

of some works at La Ferte Vidamme, a fine estate which 
Louis Philippe possesses in Normandy. On Tuesday, 
the 22d ultimo, he proceeded to Paris for the purpose of 
seeing the King and reporting progress. It was the day 
of the Reform Banquet. Mr. Packham arrived at the 
Tuileries at nine o'clock in the morning. The Kincr was 
engaged at the time with M. Guizot and his other Minis- 
ters, but sent word for Mr. Packham to wait for him in 
his breakfast-room, where our countryman saw the Duke 
de Nemours and various officers of the royal household — 
among them, M. Fossard, the head of the secret police. 
Mr. Packham inquired of him if he did not expect a 
' row V M. Fossard said there might be a little one ; but 
it would be easily put down — they had eighty-five thou- 
sand troops and eighty-five thousand National Guards. 
At half-past twelve o'clock the King came down. He 
was in high spirits and in perfect good humour — observed 
that he had been busy, and should make a late breakfast, 
and then exclaimed jocularly to Mr. Packham, ' What, 
Packham, are you not afraid to come to Paris in these 
troublesome times V Mr. Packham replied that he was 
not afraid. ' No,' returned the King, ' there is no cause 
for fear — there may be a little disturbance ; but you 
need not apprehend any thing.' He then inquired after 
Mr. Packham's wife and family, and hearing that he had 
had a touch of the gout, told him that he must not drink 
so much English wine. He then went with his usual 
minuteness and interest into affairs of business — inquired 
about the progress of the water-mills erecting at Aumale, 
of the works at La Ferte Vidamme, and the biscuit-cut- 
ting at Eu — giving directions to make all possible pro- 
gress in the improvements now going on at those places, 
which are all Louis Philippe's private property. Officers 
now entered, and engaged the attention of the King, who, 
however, desired Mr. Packham to remain in the room. 
Visitor after visitor arrived, and as there appeared to 
be no cessation of demand upon the King's attention, 

11* 



122 THE LAST NKiHT OF 

Mr. Packham at last said that, unless His Majesty had 
any further commands for him, he would take his leave. 
' No,' replied the King, ' I don't know that I have any 
thing more to say to you ; and until I see you again, I 
wish you well.' " 

Mr. Packham left the Tuileries about one o'clock. 
It was very shortly afterv/ards that reports were brought 
to the King of the movements which were going on in 
Paris, none of which seemed in any way to alarm either 
the Court or the Monarch. And on that day, no thought 
vras entertained of concession. On the Wednesday, the 
events which made the King yield are known, and he 
gave way, laughing inwardly, no doubt, at the superche- 
rie he was practising on the people. Still, the mere ne- 
cessity of giving way, after disregarding the warnings he 
had received, evidently preyed much upon his mind. 

It is believed in Paris that, some months back, the 
Prince de Joinville at the dinner-table dropped a glass on 
the ground, and exclaimed that the Orleans Dynasty 
would go with as great a smash, if the popular will were 
resisted to the utmost, and electoral reform refused. This 
is said to have been one of the causes of his frequent ab- 
sences from court. 

It v.-as late on the night of Wednesday that the infor- 
mation was brought to the King that the people and Na- 
tional Guards were all flying to arms, and making the 
most immense preparations for attack and defence. The 
first result was the signing of a decree which made Mar- 
shal Buseaud Commander of the National Guard, in the 
room of Jacquemont. But report upon report came in. 
Barricades are rising every where ; the Municipal Guard 
are half disanPied ; the National Guard have joined the 
people ; and the troops of the line, weary, half-starved — 
their rations havino- been half fororotten — are waverinsr. 
Eagerly fed by the hands of the people, who, during this 
eventful night, shared their crusts of bread with the sol- 
diers, while the market-women were most liberal in their 



THE FRENCH MONARCHY. 123 

distributions, several officers stated that they could in no 
manner rely on their men. The King, who now became 
seriously alarmed, on the earnest representation of his 
sons, sent for Thiers, and a cabinet was formed, of which 
Thiers, Barrot, Lamoriciere, Duvergier de Hauranne, 
and Remusat were members. This was at an advanced 
hour of the night, or rather about five in the morning, 
which we suppose was the reason why the Moniteur still 
contained nothing but the two fatal ordonnances appoint- 
ing Bugeaud General of the National Guard and troops 
of the line. 

Meanwhile, the people were preparing to render vain 
all the strivings of ambition, all the desperate efforts of a 
falling dynasty to cling to a shattered throne. The 
fighting never ceased. Every minute, in some quarter 
of the town or other, discharges of musketry were heard, 
principally between small bodies of Municipals and the 
people, and soldiers freshly arrived in Paris. The sound 
but reanimated the viijour of those who laboured. 
While one or two, in turns, served as sentries, the others 
piled stones upon stones, and artistically arranged all the 
materials of which they were possessed. The best pos- 
sible understanding prevailed ; the doors of half the 
houses remained open, and many women and children 
brouo;ht down articles of furniture to assist in forming 
impediments. 

In the Faubourg St. Antoine, the people occupied 
themselves in organizing an immense force. A general 
officer, in full uniform, commanded them, going about 
every wliere, rousing them, and bringing order in among 
his forces. Tiiis was General Pyat, an old soldier of the 
Republic and the Empire, who risked not only the dan- 
gers of the etJieute, but a scaffold if defeated. The 
column which came down, headed by this gentleman, 
was of itself ten thousand strong, a number which I have 
seen stated as the very maximum of the combatants on 
the side of the people, who were far nearer two hundred 
thousand. 



124 THE LAST NIGHT OF 

In addition to these, and a column of three thousand 
from Rouen, with the students of the Polytechnic School, 
who were now every where in their uniform, the sound 
of the tocsin brought from all sides the populace of the 
Faubourgs upon Paris, and no greater proof of the good 
will of the military can be given, than the fact of their 
being able to effect a junction with the rest of the insur- 
gents. 

In the quarter of the Place Yendome, all was still. 
Now and then a faint sound of musketry would reach 
our ears, but except that heavy patrols paraded the 
streets, as they did all others around the Tuileries, no- 
thing seemed to show that we were within twelve hours 
of a Republic. I believed, personally, that all was over 
with Louis Philippe, though my predictions at the time 
obtained no credit. Still I persevered and sustained to 
many my belief. So anxious was I to know what was 
going on, that I once or twice tried to start off to pene- 
trate into the scene of the drama, but I could not. 
Three ladies seemed to consider that the presence of one 
of the male sex was essential to their safety, and I re- 
mained. 

Thouo;h I could not see, I listened. Nearlv the 
whole night I leaned out the window, mv blood boilinoj 
with impatience, my heart beating with intense emotion. 
I had but one hope, one desire — the fall of the Orleans 
dynasty. I was, when nearly a child, in Paris, three 
weeks after the days of July, 1830, but even then I felt 
indignant that the people of Paris should have shed their 
blood to cast out one King and set up for themselves an- 
other. It was, therefore, with a feeling I can scarcely 
describe, that I watched those six hours of darkness. 
Every now and then I could see men gliding along with 
arms in their hands, hurrying stealthily to barricades. 
Opposite, I noticed at the summit of a house, a light 
burning the whole night in a garret window. I learned, 
two days afterwards, that it was a Republican artisan, 



THE FRENCH MONARCHY. 125 

running bullets. At length the dawn came, and soon 
after the general beat again for the National Guard, who 
obeyed the summons almost to a man. 

Before, however, I proceed to record the exciting 
scenes I witnessed during this day, I must bring down 
my narrative to about ten o'clock. 

At break of day, the Municipal Guard, and many of 
the regiments of the line, proceeded to attack the barri- 
cades of the Rues St. Denis, St. Martin, &c., as well as 
those of the Boulevard Montmartre. Great slaughter 
occurred. The force of the people was tremendous. 
The Hotel de Ville, and its place, was captured by the 
division under General Pyat at an early hour in the 
morning. The popular force was still further strength- 
ened by the soldiers in the caserne Poissonniere, who 
gave up their arms to the people. 

The newspapers appeared, with few exceptions. The 
Dehats expressed its deep regret at the fall of the Cabinet 
of the 19th. The Presse showed how all rested on Guizot's 
head. The Steele and Constitutionnel hardly knew what 
to say. The National and Reforme were bold and daring. 
They seemed to know the issue. In addition to their 
leading articles, there appeared an address from the 
democratic electoral committee of the Seine, demanding 
that the army should be permanently removed from 
Paris ; that every man of the people should be enrolled 
in the National Guard ; that the Municipal Guard should 
be discharged ; and that a lav/ should be passed, reserving 
to the National Guard the right of putting down civil trou- 
bles. Among the signatures to this paper, which, on 
Monday, would have sent them all to jail, were Louis 
Blanc, David (d'Angers), Martin (of Strasbourg), Goud- 
chaux, and other electors and officers of the National 
Guard. 

Few, however, read the journals, though some sought 
the Moniteur for the expected names of a new ministry, 
whose first acceptance by the people is thus recorded by 
a graphic eye-witness, whose words I borrow : — 



126 THE LAST NIGHT OF 

'' At a little before eis^ht o'clock, as a number of 
people were busily employed in erecting a barricade at 
the end of the Rue Taitbout, close to the Boulevard, 
they saw a group of gentlemen approaching from the 
end nearest to the Rue des Trois Freres. Some of the 
crowd immediately recognized them, and loud cries of 
' Vive M. Thiers V ' five M. OdiUon Barrot V burst 
forth. With these gentlemen were M. Duvergier de 
Hauranne, M. de Remusat, Prince de la Moscowa and 
other members belonging to the Opposition. The whole 
party walked onwards to the Tuileries, followed by 
cries of ' Yive la Reforme V ' Yes, yes,' said M. Thiers, 
' you shall have it.' At another point, in the Rue 
Grammont, the cry arose of ' Empechez au moins Us 
coups de fusil/' which was also responded to affirma- 
tively by the group of Deputies. The whole way from 
the Boulevards to the Rue St. Honore, was intercepted by 
immense barricades, some of them considerably higher 
than a man's stature. At each of these impediments, 
M. Thiers, and the other gentlemen, were obliged to pass 
singly, and as the rumour spread that the honourable 
gentleman was going to the King, loud cheers continued 
to greet him. 

" About ten o'clock, M. Odillon Barrot passed up the 
Rue Sainte Anne on foot towards the Boulevards, pro- 
claiming General Lamoriciere Commandant of the Na- 
tional Guard of Paris, and accompanied by a numerous 
escort of National Guards and citizens, intermingled. 
On arriving at the corner of the Rue Richelieu, M. 
Odillon Barrot gave orders to a troop of dragoons, and 
the 21st regiment of the line, to proceed to their bar- 
racks. The order was immediately obeyed amidst shouts 
of ' Vive Lamoriciere f ' Vive Odillmi Barrot .'' ' Vive 
le Vingl-unieme de ligne P the soldiers fraternizing with 
the people. The caissons of the regiment were in an 
instant broken open, and their contents distributed 
amonofst the crowd." 



1 



THE FRENCH MONARCHY. 127 

But on arriving subsequently at other barricades, 
they found a very different reception. Barrot was not 
listened to. Loud cries of " a has Louis PhUijppe ! Vive 
la R^publique !^^ were heard, and the cry once begun, 
was taken up every where. Still Barrot and Thiers 
seemed to think reconciliation possible, as will be seen 
by the following extract : — 

" By eleven o'clock, the muster of the National 
Guards had become very strong, and most of the posts 
which had been occupied by the infantry of the line 
were taken possession of by them. A company of the 
line was seen returning to their barracks, in the Rue du 
Faubourg Poissonniere — many of them were disarmed, 
having given up their muskets, when demanded by the 
people, or rather by mere lads who were in the crowd. 
Those who were not disarmed, had their muskets re- 
versed. Two pieces of cannon and two caissons were 
seized on the Boulevarde des Italiens by a party of the 
people, among whom was a number of National Guards. 
The powder was taken out and distributed to the people, 
and then the cannon and the caissons were taken to the 
mairie of the second arrondissement. 

" The following proclamation was posted at the 
Bourse : — 

" ' Orders have been given to cease firing every 
where. 

" ' We have just been charged by the King to form 
a Ministry. 

" ' The Chamber will be dissolved, and an appeal be 
made to the country. 

" '■ General Lamoriciere has been appointed Com- 
mandant of the National Guards. 

'' ' Thiers, 
" ' Odillon Barrot, 

" ' DUVERGIER DE HaUKANNE, 

" ' Lamoriciere.' 



128 THE LAST NIGHT OF THE FRENCH MONARCHY. 

" At twelve o'clock, M. Odillon Barrot, accompanied 
by General Lamoriciere, repaired from the Chamber 
of Deputies to the Ministry of the Interior, where he was 
formally installed, in the presence of the National Guard 
and a multitude of citizens, who filled the court. Short- 
ly afterwards the following proclamation was posted upon 
the gate, amid universal acclamations : — 

" ' My dear comrades, — I have been invested by the 
new Cabinet with the superior command of the National 
Guard of the Department of the Seine. 

" ' By your energetic attitude, you have asserted the 
triumph of liberty. You have been, and will ever be 
defenders of order. I rely upon you, as you may rely 
upon me, 

" •' Your comrade, 
(Signed) - ' General Lamoriciere. 

(Countersigned) '•' ' Odillon Barrot. 

" ' Paris, Feb. 24, 1848.' " 

In most parts of the town, however, proclamations 
were torn down, amid execrations and cries of vengeance. 
What was the temper of the people, and what chance 
the Monarchy had, will be seen, from my personal nar- 
rative, which I now give. I shall afterwards return and 
explain more fully the general course of events. 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 129 



CHAPTER IX. 

PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

I WAS busily engaged on Thursday morning, finish- 
ing a letter which I hoped to despatch by post before 
the clock struck ten, when a rumour under my window 
attracted my attention. I rushed to look out, the least 
noise exciting deep interest. Mounted on a miserable 
hack, was a young officer in the dress of the Polytechnic 
School, who, waving a sword in one hand, and a hand- 
kerchief in the other, moved along the street, followed by 
a crowd. At his horse's head were two men, one in the 
uniform of the National Guard, the other, one of the 
people armed with a musket. T rapidly descended, but 
only in time to see him disappear. It was a student of 
the Polytechnic School, rushing to call the people every 
where to arms. To the cries of women and others that 
he would be shot, he replied, "I am doing my duty," 
and went on his way to spread the insurrectionary move- 
ment into the faubourgs, and, as I afterwards learned, 
brought down a force of two thousand men. 

It was clear, that events were complicating, and I at 
once determined not to lose any time, but to see all that 
could be seen. Taking my way towards the Palais 
Royal, I was stopped near St. Roch by two barricades. 
They were being erected by about thirty or forty men 
and lads. The first was across the whole of the Rue 
St. Honore, the other protected the Rue Neuve St. Roch. 
The red flag waved over both. Gradually a few armed 
men came up, and then a republican friend of mine with 

12 



130 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

whom I walked back to the corner of the Rue 29 Juillet, 
to where a commissary of police was addressing a few 
scattered National Guards. 

" Gentlemen !" he cried, " you have all you want." 

" And pray, what is all we want ?" replied my 
friend — an ex-officer in the Lancers — warmly. 

" La Reforme. Thiers and Barrot are ministers," 
said the official. 

" Canaille V replied my companion, hotly. " Thiers, 
the man of the fortifications, the September laws ; Bar- 
rot, a dynastic Liberal, who, once in office, will lick 
Louis Philippe's shoes." 

" Well," said the commissary of police, in a mild and 
conciliatory tone, which two days before was insolent in 
the extreme, while the knot of shopkeepers, several of 
whom were fournisseurs to the chateau, listened with 
charmed ears, " what is it you do want ?" 

" The deposition of the King !" thundered my friend, 
"a has Louis Philippe f Vive la R^publique .'" 

And he quitted the stupified group to go elsewhere, 
and stir the masses to accept nothing short of a Republic. 
It was the similar conduct of a few resolute men, like 
my friend, and E. Arago, that decided the fortune of the 
day. 

I left him, however, and returned for a moment to the 
barricade, which was now nearly completed. Scarcely 
had I taken up my post beside it, when T saw a 'orest of 
bayonets coming from the Palais Royal. Not exactly 
aware of the disposition of affiiirs, I awaited their advent 
with some little anxiety. It was a regiment of National 
Guards, escorting a regiment of the line to their barracks. 
They were received with loud cries of Vive la Reforme I 
to which they warmly responded, while the soldiers re- 
versed their muskets in sign of fraternity. No sooner 
had they passed, by climbing over the barricade, than the 
work proceeded. Several armed men continued to ar- 
rive, and there was a talk of organizing a column to aid 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 131 

in an attack on the Tuileries, when a body of troops of 
the line came up. They were fifty in number, and like 
the rest, had their muskets reversed. Their arms were 
demanded by the unarmed populace, they hesitated and 
objected that they had no orders. The people listened to 
reason, and contented themselves with taking every par- 
ticle of ammunition from them, after which they were 
allowed to proceed, amid cries of Vive la ligne / 

Another regiment of National Guards now appeared 
coming from the Place Vendome, who halted before the 
barricade, and after a parley, were assisted in passing 
over what was now a formidable impediment. They 
cried aloud Vive la Reforme ! and intimated that they 
were going to the Tuileries to wring concessions from the 
monarch. 

I now descended to the Rue St. Honore, with an 
Englishman who had joined me at the barricade, and 
found the people occupied every where in blockading all 
the avenues which led to the Palace of the Tuileries. 
At every step I met men hurrying to the scene of action, 
armed with swords, pikes, sticks, guns, any thing, in fact, 
they could find. Loud cries assailed the passers-by who 
paused not to assist in making barricades ; one was in 
course of erection under the very windows of the Tuiler- 
ies, in presence of the post that occupied the vaulted en- 
trance to the court-yard of the palace. 

In the Rue Richelieu, I came upon a body of about 
two thousand strong. National Guards and people, in 
about equal quantities, who were preparing to march. 
They had a black and red flag, and presented a rare as- 
pect of determination. Presently they started, drums 
beating and colors flying, down the Rue St. Honore, to 
assist in investing the Tuileries. Their adventures I 
shall record in a subsequent part of my volume. 

After conversing with several of the groups who 
were stationed around, and who liniz-ered at the corners 
of the streets, we advanced towards the Place du Palais 



132 PERSONAL NARICATIVE. 

Royal. One side of this is occupied by the fagade of the 
palace, opposite which is a large oblong building of stone. 
In the centre is a large fountain, known as the Chateau 
d'Eau, while the building itself, one of the strongest posts 
in Paris, was occupied by one hundred and thirty-eight 
soldiers of the 14th regiment of the line, and some Muni- 
cipals. It is entered by a double flight of steps. 

To the right and left, on the side of the Palais Royal, 
the place is crossed by the Rue St. Honore, while, on the 
same side of the way, the Rue de Valois forms a junction 
with the same street. Two thoroughfares, the narrow 
dirty Rue du Musee and the Rue St. Thomas du Louvre, 
start from beside tha corps-de-garde, the one leading to 
the Louvre, the other to the Place du Carrousel. 

When I came out on the Place, affairs were peacea- 
ble. The soldiers were in part on the summit of the 
steps, while about five hundred of the people were scat- 
tered here and there, mingled with the National Guard. 
The post of the Palais Royal itself had surrendered, and 
given their arms to the people. 

A vast barricade was rising at the corners of the Rue 
de Valois, surmounted by a banner. All was compar- 
atively still. The people were parleying with the sol- 
diers and entreatini^ them to disarm themselves. I was 
informed, thatEtienne Arago, the brother of the astronomer 
had endeavoured to persuade the soldiers to give up their 
arms, and the immense stock of ammunition which they 
possessed ; other efforts were made several times in vain. 

This episode is thus described : " About eleven 
o'clock, after having raised barricades, all round the 
Reforme office, Etienne arrived on the Place du Palais 
Royal. Some citizens, amongst whom were Tisserandot, 
Baune, Caussanel, Bossens, Lagrange, Jeanty, Sarre, 
Fayolle, (well-known Republicans,) collected before the 
post of the Cliateau d'Eau, and parleying with the troops, 
entreated them to retire. Etienne addressed the officer 
of the 14th who commanded ; he was a small man, with 
very marked features, and sturdy make. 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 133 

" ' Retire,' said Etienne, 'spare your soldiers and the 
people a useless sacrifice of blood. We are few before 
you now, in a quarter of an hour we shall be hundreds ; 
ill an hour tens of thousands ! Resistance is impossible. 
It would be criminal.' 

" Vain efforts ! The Captain, the officers who sur- 
rounded him, the soldiers even fell back upon their duty 
and military honour. Their refusal was invincible. 
With his heart swelling with regret at the thought of the 
awful butchery which must ensue, our friend, says the 
writer, went away to the Rue de Richelieu. Between 
the barricade of the Theatre Francais and the Fontaine 
Moliere, he met M. Moriceau, officer of the staff of the 
National Guard, who preceded by a few yards the Gen- 
eral Lamoriciere, and another officer of the National 
Guard of the ^tat-major. 

" ' Use your influence,' said M. Moriceau, ' to have 
the General recognized.' 

" And he named M. Arago to the General, who ad- 
vanced to meet them. 

" 'General,' said Etienne, warmly, there is no longei', 
to-day, any one talking of Reform or Regency ; this time 
we will have the Republic, and keep it.' 

" To an incredulous shake of the head of General 
Lamoriciere, his reply was full of fire. 

" ' Yes ! the Republic is ours, and no one shall tear it 
from our hands. You are a brave, General, and soon 
you shall have your place at the frontier as a soldier of 
the Republic ; at this moment you would uselessly seek 
to be heard ; go no further — your efforts are futile.' " 

After a few more words, the General and his officers 
turned round, and went back to the Tuileries. 

The officer in command absolutely refused to listen, 
though assured that every where the people were gaining 
the day, and that he would thus lessen the shedding of 
blood. 

I was standing in the middle of the Place looking 
12* 



134 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

round me. The soldiers had withdrawn inside the door^ 
and were stationed at the windows and on the terrace. 
A general move took place to the different corners of the 
square. A few lads made a rush at the Palais Royal 
gates — still closed. The garrison of the post of the 
Chateau d'Eau at once levelled their guns, and fired a 
murderous volley on armed and unarmed. I saw one 
fall within two yards of me. While those wiio had 
muskets replied to their fire, I, and many others who 
were unarmed, retreated to the corner of the Rue du 
Musee, any where, in fact, where a little shelter could be 
found. 

The scene, from this forward, was of the most terri- 
ble description. As soon as I could look around me, I 
saw that the whole Place was empty, while at the cor- 
ners, behind, before the barricades, kneeling down, stand- 
ing up, at windows, on the house-tops, were the people. 
Volley after volley was discharged. The garrison fired 
several times with the utmost military precision. The 
people answered. Every now and then, a small party 
having loaded, would rush out in the middle of the Place, 
and fire at the windows of the post, never failing to leave 
dead and wounded on the square. Those who think 
there was not much fio-htinDr or much blood in this Revo- 
lution, should have witnessed this scene. 

Fresh crowds arrived every minute. I could see the 
combatants rushing down the Rue de Valois, reinforcins: 
the people, or filling the place left vacant by the dead. 
Amongst others, Count d' Alton Shee, Etienne Arago, 
and Ferdinand Flocon, editor of the Reforme. The ar- 
rival of Arago is thus described by his friend and com- 
panion, Arthus Dangeliers : — " Some minutes after the 
above scene, Etienne was pressing the hands of his 
friends of la Reforme, the citizens Caussidiere, Chancel, 
Vigne, and the author, collected on the Place des Vic- 
toires. At the end of a quarter of an hour, we heard 
firing in the direction of the Tuileries ; there was then a 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 135 

pause, when the discharges became again more rapid. 
It was the combat on the Palais Royal which commenced. 
Etienne rushed the first. The Rue Croix des Petits 
Champs, which we traversed to arrive at the scene of 
conflict, was encumbered by National Guards and men 
of the people, armed. The drums were beating a charge. 
In the midst of this compact mass of citizens, we were 
separated, and I saw him no more until the last act of 
the drama. When Etienne arrived at the theatre of the 
struggle, the Place was empty. The greater part of the 
combatants were behind the barricade, which closed up 
the ends of the Rues de Valois and St. Honore. 
Other insurgents were behind the barricade towards 
the Rue de Richelieu ; others occupied the two angles 
of the Place, on the side of the Rue du Musee and 
the Rue de Chartres. On both sides, the -firing was 
terrible." 

At the corner of the Rue du Musee, we v^^ere about 
twenty. Already one dead body lay at our feet; it was 
carrried into a baker's shop and deposited on chairs. 
Another and another fell, and the houlangerie became an 
ambulance. In half an-hour, four were lying dangerously 
wounded beside the one dead man, while three others 
were shot through the arm. Never do I wish again to 
see so murderous a fight. Not an instant did the firing 
cease. Each moment, the people, more furious as they 
saw so many victims fall, redoubled in boldness. Eti- 
enne Arago advanced into the middle of the Place, and 
fired at the post ; he then moved down to encourage those 
at the corner where I was, and then returned to the Rue 
de Valois to join Flocon, who commanded that position. 
An episode, which I saw, but scarce noticed, is thus viv- 
idly described : — " A child, one of those admirable en- 
fans de Paris, of which this capital alone supplies a type, 
and which the people have baptized by the name of titis, 
flew about the Place, animating the people and provoking 
the soldiers. Etienne saw him alternately to his right, 



136 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

to his left, opposite him, and despite the gravity of his 
personal situation, he admired, from the bottom of his 
heart, the careless courage, the bold heart of the heroic 
child, whose shoulder had been cut by a bayonet or a 
ball, whose shirt was all bloody, and who in the van, in 
the most perilous post, armed only with a sabre, and in 
a shower of balls, came to brave new wounds, or an 
almost certain death ; and all this because he had heart ; 
because the smell of powder was as a loadstone ; because, 
in fine, he was an enfant de Paris /" 

Another anecdote is worthy of being recorded. At 
the commencement of the attack, and shortly after the 
interview of Lamoriciere with Arago, the company of 
grenadiers of the 2d Legion of the National Guard, com- 
manded by Captain Barrere, endeavoured to take pos- 
session of the post amicably, with Lamoriciere at their 
head. The company was without ammunition, while on 
both sides a heavy fire was kept up. The Captain hesi- 
tated to advance, when a young enfant de Paris, aged 
twelve or thirteen, presented himself to the Captain, and 
said, " I will stay the fire of the insurgents, or be killed." 
He immediately rushed into the Place, and called on the 
insurgents to cease firing. At the end of a moment, 
they acquiesced, and the lad came back, saying, " I 
have kept my promise," and at the same time he showed 
his shoulder shattered by a ball. The effort was, how- 
ever, vain. 

Meanwhile, by the Cafe de la Regence, a dense 
crowd, utterly heedless of the proximity of the balls, 
which seldom wounded, save mortally, poured an un- 
ceasing fire, so loud, continued, so frequent, as to be ab- 
solutely stunning. 

To add to the confusion, a number of royal carriages, 
taken from the stables of the Tuileries, were dragged 
out on the Place, and, by aid of mattrasses thrown out 
to the people from windows, were fired. The group 
amongst whom I was, knocked at once at the door of a 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 137 

small house which was occupied in the building of the 
post by a water-carrier. He came out with his wife and 
daughter, trembling and terrified. The people assisted 
them into the baker's shop, and then, having brought out 
his principal valuables, piled faggots from the baker's 
upon the straw mattrasses, and fired it all. 

Up rose a hot flame, and a loud cry from the people 
for the soldiers to surrender, for that resistance was now 
madness. The garrison replied by a still more mur- 
derous discharge, which added to the exasperation of the 
multitude, who, from behind the blazing carriages, from 
barricade and window, from the Palais Royal, now cap- 
tured, poured volley for volley. Here might be seen a 
boy of twelve, with a musket too heavy for him to carry, 
kneeling down and firing from a cart ; here Peer, peas- 
ant, Deputy, National Guard, journeyman and master, 
English, French, Poles, hustled together, all with one 
object — that of ensuring a popular victory. 

Among the most daring of the combatants was a 
young man, respectably dressed, who, with a musket, 
advanced continually to the middle of the Place, and 
endeavoured to lead a charge against the post at the 
point of the bayonet. Presently, during one of these 
attempts, ho fell, shot through the breast. I and others 
assisted in removing him senseless, into the baker's 
shop, where he was lain down by the side of his other 
companions- in misfortune. On washing his wound, it 
was found that he had been shotthrouijh and through the 
right breast. 

He soon came to himself, and the first words he ut- 
ttered were in English. 

*' Mr. St. Johfl, I believe ?" he said, with a clear- 
ness and distinctness which to me seemed a good sign. 

" Yes," 1 replied, perhaps more astonished than. I 
ever was betore during my whole life ; " but how do you 
know me ?" 

^' I am a printer; I worked for M -, in London, 



138 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

where you often called to correct proofs of your writ- 
ings." 

I now had some slight recollection of his face, and 
asked him how he came to be concerned in the revolu- 
tion. He told me that he had turned out with others 
during tlie night, and had fought hitherto without hurt, 
and hoped that he was not very badly wounded. I begged 
him to be of good cheer, and then went out again among 
the combatants.* 

The scene was tremendous. The carriages had 
made a vast burning barricade, from behind which hun- 
dreds of men poured their volleys on the post, whicli, 
though the soldiers must now have been half choked with 
smoke, replied with even more fury than ever. The 
Place was obscured by dense clouds of vapour. Where 
I stood, within four feet of the post, the heat was awful. 
I could scarcely stand. The air was hot, like the blast 
of a furnace, while a smell of gunpowder filled the 
nostrils. 

From the carriages rose up numerous columns of 
flame, ardent and red, like the blood which ran upon the 
pavement beneath ; while several heaps of straw and 
wood were burning against the post itself, which had 
caught fire in two places. In the dim light which pre- 
vailed, the day being closed, the smoke of fire and gun- 
powder, the ten thousand heads of the people might be 
seen crowding the Place, in blouses, uniforms, coats, 
armed and unarmed, while swords, bayonets, and guns 
flashed in the lurid glare ; the ears were deafened by the 
tremendous discharges from both sides ; from the Valois 
barricade, from the Rohen barricade, from the Rue de 
Chartres, from where I stood, from the windows, from 

* I never saw him again. His wound was mortal. I made 
continual inquiries for him, and only found out, when too late to see 
him, that he had been removed to the Hospital of Charity, where he 
died on Saturday, the 26th. His name was George Good, and he 
was buried with the other victims. 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 139 

the Place, from the Palais Royal, from the Corps de 
Garde, where still the already burning soldiers kept up 
a discharge — all were firing ! 

Still the parleyers tried to make the fighting cease : — 
all in vain ! In vain M. de Girardin came down with 
the proclamation of the King's Abdication ; in vain Gen- 
eral Lamoriciere advanced, sword in hand, and com- 
manded the soldiers to desist ; they fired on him and 
wounded him in the hand. In vain the son of Admiral 
Baudin rushed among the combatants, crying, " Louis 
Philippe has Abdicated !" — mistaken for the Due de Ne- 
mours, he was only saved by three National Guards from 
instant death. The soldiers and Municipals held out. 
Their obstinacy was now increased by the fear of re- 
venge. Not one expected to leave the post alive if they 
surrendered — a fatal error, for almost to the last, the peo- 
ple said they were of course acting from a mistaken sense 
of duty, and should be forgiven. 

A short silence took place. The post was said to be 
empty, or the soldiers were burnt. During this pause, 
the people crowded densely on the Placo. A column of 
National Guards, headed by Captain Jouanne, and fol- 
lowed by Lepere, of the " Reforme," afterwards killed, 
scaled a barricade, and with Etienne Arauo, rushed to 
capture the post and save the wretched beings within, 
with the nineteen prisoners of the people in the vio/orij 
where cries of despair were clearly heard. The fire 
had completely wrapped the corps-de-garde, the cistern 
of the fountain had given way and flooded the Place 
with water, and the awful confusion increased every 
minute. 

The capture of the Tuileries, of the Hotel de Ville, 
was reported, and everybody believed the revolution was 
accomplished, when a furious discharge from every part 
of the post again renewed the bloody struggle. From 
this moment the scene was dreadful. The garrison find- 
ing the corps-de-garde too hot to hold them, tried to rush 



140 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

out at the gate, but were shot as they appeared. The 
blood of the people was up, the last discharge changed 
their sentiments, and not one was allowed to escape. 
Every instant the flames increased in violence ; floors, 
roofs, furniture, every thing was on fire, and at length 
an awful stillness prevailed. The firing ceased, for the 
garrison had perished ; victims of their own obstinacy. 
The rigid disciplinarian who commanded them was killed 
with a bayonet while attempting to escape. 

A moment of profound silence followed. Each man 
held his breath, and asked his neighbour if it could be 
true, that more than a hundred of their fellow-creatures 
had perished in the flames, victims of a mistaken sense 
of duly. A feeling of horror pervaded the crowd, and 
then the cry arose, " To the Tuileries !" Away rushed 
thousands of combatants. I accompanied them. 

On arriving at the Place du Carrousel, the first 
thing I saw was the people tearing the royal flag to 
atoms. 

The Monarchy had ceased to exist, and from the 
crowd arose in the air, one stupendous shout : — 

" Vive la Republique !" 

Before 1 proceed to narrate what I saw, I must go 
back and bring events down to three o'clock in the after- 
noon.* 

* 1 am aware various versions have been given of the Chateau 
d'Eau affair. I write what I saw. Many assert that the soldiers 
escaped, some by a back way, which does not exist, others, that 
the post was only fired after the troops had evacuated it and 
fraternized with the people. The post was in flames more than an 
hour before the fight was over, and to say nothing of those wholly 
consumed, fifty-three bodies were taken out by firemen. 



FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 141 



CHAPTER X. 

FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

While I was at the Palais Royal, events of a mo- 
mentous character were taking place in other quarters. 

Every where the troops had withdrawn on the Boule- 
vards, before the orders of Barrot and Thiers, who, as 
they returned to ihe palace, were able to judge of the 
real character of the insurrection. Cries of vive la Re- 
puMique f and a has Louis Philippe ! greeted them, too, 
at every step. The fighting still went on in many quar- 
ters between the people and the Municipal Guards, and 
the tirailleurs of Vincennes ; but every hour the strength 
of the populace increased. The barricades of the quar- 
tiers Montmarte, and Poissonniere, were alone guarded 
by thirty or forty thousand people ; the Hotel de Ville 
was occupied by thousands. A novel feature in Pari- 
sian ^meutes, was the appearance of barricades in the 
Quartier des Ecoles and the Faubourg St. Germain. 
Here, too, every moment new combatants appeared in 
the streets. The post of the Hotel des Conseils de Guerre 
was captured after a brief resistance, while the people 
attacked the military prison of the Abbaye. The troops 
of the line were unable to resist the furious onset of the 
insurgents. The Abbaye was captured, and the prison- 
ers liberated. Amongst them were three soldiers con- 
demned to death. One of them was to have been shot 
in the course of the morning. It is needless to allude to 
the joy with which he greeted the arrival of his libera- 
ls 



142 FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

tors. His emotion was so violent as to cause him to 
faint. Tiie victors then scattered the records of the 
prison to th; winds. 

At the same time, several National Guards, followed 
by numerous groups, armed with pikes and guns, made 
towards the Palace of the Luxembourg. There was no 
resistance, except from a solitary guardian, who, having 
fired on the people, was instantly killed. While a group 
took possession of the palace, a Polytechnic student led 
another party to the grille of the garden facing the Rue 
de Feron. After vainly trying to force the grille^ a 
workman clambered up in search of the keys. Suddenly 
four soldiers of the line, shut up in the post of the prison, 
came out in arms ; the corporal fired his musket, which 
hurt no one, and then, throwing down his gun, ran away, 
and was soon out of sight. The three soldiers, thus 
abandoned and surrounded, gave up their arms, and the 
victorious people entered the posts and barracks of the 
veterans, who also gave up their ammunition, guns and 
swords. 

Meanwhile, the aids-de-camp, scattered over the 
town to proclaim the Barrot Ministry, returned with the 
news of its rejection by the people. Alarm began to be 
felt. Several regiments of c ivalry and infantry joined 
the little army, which had bivouacked on the Place du 
Carrousel all night. Some battalions of the National 
Guard ranged themselves in battle array, and were re- 
ceived by the troops with cries of u/ue la Garde Nation- 
ale ! responded to by cries of vive la ligne ! vive la 
Refor7ne ! 

Shortly after this. Marshal Bugeaud rode along the 
National Guard to sound their disposition, and to discov- 
er if they were willing to receive him as a commander. 
He was, however, coldly welcomed, amid loud cries of 
vive la R^forme ! As a last resource, Louis Philippe 
himself came out on horseback, accompanied by the 
Dues de Nemours and Montpensier, and rode along the 



FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 143 

legions. He seemed uncertain,, anxious, half alarmed. 
Many cries were heard ; a kw men cried vlve le Roi ! 
but the chief shouting which greeted the monarch was 
vive la Reforme ! The King saw that there was but 
little to be done. He afterwards rode along the troops 
of the line, and a private, who w^as among the combat- 
ants of the Palais Royal, assured me that his reception 
was cold in the extreme. 

He returned to the palace to hear that the whole of 
the Tuileries was surrounded with barricades, that the 
people unanimously rejected the Thiers- Barrot adminis- 
tration, that d has Louis Philippe! was now the cry on 
all sides, and that the attack of the Tuileries was ex- 
pected every minute. General Lamoriciere rushed out 
to pass the troops and the National Guard in review, and 
then entered the streets, to seek to calm the agitation 
which prevailed. He brought back no satisfactory news, 
while the tremendous combat of the Palais Royal sent 
its stunning uproar into the very apartments of the 
palace. 

A column of insurgents suddenly ^debouched by the 
Rue de Rohan, on the Carrousel, covered with troops, and 
put themselves in communication with the &iat-major . M. 
Thiers, informed of their presence, came out with the 
two Princes to meet them, but before he entered the 
Place, they had returned to the Palais Royal combat. 

A few minutes later, the palace of the Tuileries pre- 
sented a remarkable aspect. The Due de Nemours, 
pale and fatigued, was turning over, without reading, an 
evening paper ; the sister of the Queen of Spain, very 
terrified, questioned every speaker with her eye ; the 
King, very red and flushed, was surrounded by Thiers, 
Remusat, Duvergier de Hauranne, de Malleville, La- 
crosse, Jules de Lasteyrie, and Emile de Girardin, and 
listened anxiously to the sounds from vi^ithout. The Due 
de Montpensier stood apart, conversing with M. Quinet. 
The saloons were filled with Generals — the mass of 



144 FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

courtiers, without any of that chivalry which relieves 
the absurdities of royalism, had vanished — they did 
nothing but ask questions, without proposing any remedy. 
Presently, the word abdication was whispered, and the 
Deputies present told the King it was the only chance to 
save the dynasty. The King hesitated ; there was no 
paper — it was provided — there was no ink, it was found 
— no pens — they were brought, and then he prepared to 
write. The Queen fell upon his neck, and implored him 
to be firm, and resist. But Louis Philippe heard the 
firing at the Palais Royal, and knew the Tuileries 
would be next attacked. He gently pushed her away, 
and wrote : — 

*' I lay down the crown which the will of the nation 
bestowed on me in July, 1830. I abdicate in favour of 
my well-beloved grandson, the Count of Paris." 

These words being written, the King rose, read it out, 
and giving the paper to one of those present, said : " Let 
it be taken to the Chamber of Deputies." 

" Sire !" exclaimed the Queen, " you give way to an 
emeute ; you are allowing yourself to be frightened." 

And Marie Amelie clenched her hands with anger. 
This feeling is easily understood in an aged Queen, who 
could not know the extent of the evil, and who saw the 
Vv'hole future of her family failing her on this memora» 
ble day. 

" Madam," said M. Lacrosse, to the Duchess of Or- 
leans, who had expressed her desire of going to the 
Chambers, ''if you persist in your design, I am sure you 
will find the people ready to let you pass. You wear 
the robe of the widow." 

The little Count of Paris listened with an anxiety 
which seemed beyond his years, while his brother, the 
Duke de Chartres, wept bitterly. Faithful to the Court 
there now remained but one man, the General de Ru« 
imigny ; the rest rushed to the Chambers, or sought safety 
n flight. 



FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 145 

It was in the interyal of the King's having signed the 
abdication, and of the Due de Nemour's departure, that 
occurred the first advance of the National Guard on the 
Tuileries. It will show that not the mere workmen 
wished the fall of the monarch. Early in the morning, 
the 6th Legion, with its Maire, Lieutenant-Colonel, two 
chiefs of battalions, and several officers, marched on the 
Tuileries. They had reached the Rue de I'Echelley 
when the firing began at the Palais Royal. The whole 
Legion rushed to the combat just as Marshal Gerard^ 
having a green bough in his hand, endeavoured to stay 
the combatants. As I have before narrated, this was in 
vain ; but I may mention, what I omitted to do in the 
right place, that much of this obstinacy arose from the 
body of Municipals who occupied the terrace on the 
roof. 

This body, fearing that they might be taken by the 
troops guarding the Tuileries, made a reconnoissance. 
There were, within the court, SOOO infantry, six pieces 
of cannon in a battery, two squadrons of dragoons, with- 
out counting the armed guardians, or the Municipals. 
Besides, the whole interior was full of soldiers. This 
force, protected by the grille, and by the artillery, if it 
had been attacked, could have fought a bloody battle^ 
and would have been forced to do so, could those within 
have relied on them. But, as on the famous lOJh of 
August, not one-half were stanch. Their sympathies 
were with the people, and the Municipals were not nu- 
merous enough to do the work of Charles the Tenth's 
Swiss. A profound silence reigned, interrupted only by 
the fusillade of the Palais Royal, or by a stray shot fired 
at the soldiers. 

Still no fighting commenced ; when the news came^ 
that the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 10th Legions 
were all advancing to the attack of the Tuileries, with 
some thousands of people. A battle was imminent. At 
this moment. Lieutenant Aubert Roche advanced to the 

13* 



FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

grille^ near the Rue de Rivoli, and demanded the Gov- 
ernor of the Tuileries, who, in great trepidation, obeyed 
the summons. " You are lost," cried the Lieutenant, 
^' you are surrounded, and the combat will commence, 
if you do not evacuate the Tuileries, and give it up to 
the National Guard." The commander, understanding 
the situation, drew the soldiers off to the castle, without 
sending them away. Seeing that they did not retreat, 
M. Aubert Roche, accompanied by Lesnear, chief of a 
battalion of Gagne-Renez, ran again to the Rue de Rivoli 
gate. They knocked, and announced themselves as 
bringing a parley. The gT?lZ/e opened, and they entered 
alone, with their drawn swords, the court full of soldiers. 
The commanders hurried to meet them, saying that they 
had withdrawn the troops within. 

" That is of no use," said the Lieutenant, " you 
must dislodge from the chateau, or misfortunes will 
arise." 

The commander of the Tuileries, like many others 
on this memorable day, appeared scarcely to know Vv^hat 
to do ; he, therefore, made no reply, but led the two offi- 
cers before the Pavilion of the Horloge, where stood the 
Due de Nemours and several Generals, their faces the 
very image of consternation. " Monseigneur," said the 
com.mander of the Tuileries, " here is a worthy citizen, 
who will show you how to spare a great effusion of 
blood." " What*^is to be done ?" said the Due de Ne- 
mours, in a voice trembling with emotion, the once proud 
future Regent of mighty France. " Monsieur, you must 
evacuate the Tuileries instantly. You have not a mo- 
ment to lose. You must give it up^to the National 
Guards, or you are lost. The combat will be bloody, 
the Tuileries is completely surrounded ; the 5th Legion, 
of which I am a member, is now fighting at the Palais 
Royal, with its Maire and superior officers at its head. 
Let that combat not cease before the troops have left the 
chateau, or there will be an assault, despite our utmost 



FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 147 

)rls." " Do you think so f ' said the DuIcp, " I will 
then withdraw the troops."" And instantly, before the 
National Guard, he gave the order for a retreat. The 
artillery went out by the grille of the Palais Royal, the 
Due de Ncmoiirs and the etat-7napr went through the 
pavilion t© the garden, makiigg their horses descend the 
•stairs, and the cavalry and infantry followed. 

The National Guard now began to occupy the Place, 
and wheo the combataols came, they found the Tuileries 
taken. 

In a few minutes the preparations for departure were 
made. The Duchess of Orleans took her two children 
by the kand, and walked across the Tuileries, accompa- 
5iied by the Dues de Nemours and Montpensier. Louis 
Philippe, dressed in black, and giving his arm to the 
Queen, went out of the chateau by tfhe sjibterraneous 
•passage, formerly constructed for the walks of the King 
■of Rome. The details of his flight have been correctly 
given but fcy one writer, M. Meuiice, of the Courrier des 
■S'pectadeM . 

" This last -scene of a reigo is not exactly rendered," 
lie remarks, " and the reason will fee readily understood. 
It passed before the eyes of very fc^v persons, the troops 
•excepted, and w4en ewerY v»^here ao agitation fermented, 
and when all the masses of the people were round the 
Palais Royai and the ya^a^ of the Tuileries. Probabili- 
ties have taken the place of fact. No one could foresee 
what was passing at the PontTournant, where were but 
about (Mie h'iindred and fifty of unarmed citizens. 1 was 
present. Abo^t one o'^elock, while conversing with the 
Colonel of the 21st regiment ef the line, who manifested 
aloud the most patriotic opinions, of which he gave proof, 
by sheathing the bayonets of ail his men, .a young man 
■on horseback carfse ga^lof ing along, shouting that Louis 
Philippe had abdicated. This was the son of Admiral 
Baudin. At the moment afterwards, at the Pont-Tour- 
iiantj we ^aw coming out from tlie garden of the Tuiler- 



148 FALL OF LOUIS T1ULITI?E, 

ies, some National Guards on horseback, gomg sTGwIy^ 
as if at the head of a procession, and inviting the citizens 
to make no unfavoarable demonstration^ The words une 
grande infortune were cried on all sides. 1 then saw com- 
ing out of the Tuileries, an foot^ and surrounded by 
about thirty persons in different aniforms, Louis Philippe,, 
his right arm passed through the left of the Queen, ob 
whom he leaned rather hea¥ilj ; she walked along with 
a firm step, easting around an assured^ and eTCK angry 
glance. Louis Philippe was dressed in black, with ^ 
round hat, and without any distinctive mark. The Queeo 
wore deep mourning. It was said,, that they were going 
to the Chamber of Deputies to deposit the act of abdica- 
tion. 

Despite the advice given, sereral cries were heard ; 
amongst others, Yite la Ref&rme ! Vive la France f and 
once or twite, there was a faint cry of Vwe U Rm f As. 
soon as they had crossed the causeway, fronting the PonI 
Tournant, and before they reached the asphalte which 
surrounds the Luxor obelisk, Louis Philippe, the Queerty 
and the group paused, withoM any apparent reason. In 
an instant they were so closely surrounded by persons on 
horseback and on foot, as to be unable to advance freely. 
Louis Philippe appeared somewhat frightened at this sud>> 
den movement. 

" Chance had brought them, to a strange spot, that ot^ 
which, when Louis Philippe was almost a lad, Louis 
XVI. had died upon the scaffold, eondemned-, amongst 
others, by his father. It was a singular fact, and to 
many must haTe caused tremendo'dis reflection.. Louis 
Philippe turned round f3,BicklY, quitting the Queen^s army 
took his hat, raised it in the air, and said some word& 
which no one could catc?i ; the brawling, screamiog and 
shouting, the prancing of horses, drowned every word. 
The Queen seen>ed alarmed not to have in hers the arm 
she had been supporting, and turning round with extreme 
vivacity, uttered some few ivoxds. I then said ta heiy 



FALL OF LOUIS iPHILIPPE. 149 

■^ Madame, fear nothing ; continue on your way, the ranks 
will open before you.' I suppose the trouble she was in 
made her misunderstand my action, for pushing me back, 
■she said, ' Leave me !' in a most irritated accent She 
then took Louis Philippe's arm, and they turned back to 
where two little dark low carriages stood, each with a 
single horse. Two young children were in the first, 
Louis Philippe took the left seat, the Queen the right ; 
the children stood up, their faces against the glass, look- 
ing at the people with curious attention. The coachman 
whipped his horse, and they started.''' 

Their subsequent adventures are better known in 
England than here. 

Meanwhile, the news of the King's abdication had got 
all over Paris. But with it came the tidino-s that the 
Duchess of Orleans was Regents, and that the Chambers 
were to be dissolved. The people felt that this was but 
half a victory, and that they could dictate, not accept, 
terms. 

Besides, it was a determined thing to have a Repub- 
lic. It is fitting that I should here state a fact, the, know- 
ledge of which, many months back, made me continually 
foretell the fall of Louis Philippe. Despite the police, 
despite all its secret agents, large bodies of the working 
classes were organized. Secret societies, committees had 
long been prepared. Paris had been mapped out, and 
the places of the barricades laid down, after deep reflec- 
tion, and the examination cf this was during the insurrec- 
tion. A vast Republican conspiracy had been long on 
foot. Sts riiembers were not strong enough alone to effect 
the Revolution, but they had, for years, been waiting the 
opportunity now offered them. The follies of power, the 
reform agitation, the doctrines of Socialism, the recent 
writings of Lamartine, Louis Blanc, Esquiros, Michelet, 
had also moved the public spirit into a revolutionary fo- 
<3us. Besides, the Socialist sects were vast secret socie- 
ties, and here I must distinguish between the Socialists 



I'O FALL OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

who simply demand an organization of labour, by which 
the workman is to have a larger share than formerly of 
the profits, and those Utopian thecrists, or worse, known 
as Communists, a small and uninfluential class. When 
the Reform Banquet was forbidden, these men saw that 
the day had arrived, and the heads gave the signal. The 
conspirators rushed into the sti'eets, animated the people, 
selected places for barricades, provoked them to resist- 
ance, stifled all half-demands, and when needed, led the 
masses to the combat. Not less than tvrenty thousand 
thus understood one another, and in this way it was that 
ever)'- where the people found ready and fitting leaders. 

To overthrow Louis Philippe was nothing, if the same 
electoral laws were to prevail under a Regente. The 
Republic and universal suffrage, would alone give the 
working classes a chance of re-constituting soclecy, and 
it was a settled thing to reject every concession. 

No sooner was the proclamation of the King's abdica- 
tion known, than the cry v.as to take the Tuileries and 
the Chamber of Deputies. How this was effected is mat- 
ter of deep interest. My peculiar position prevented my 
seeinor these two events, but I naust record them. 



THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. 151 



CHAPTER XL 

THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. 

An Italian, who took part in the events of the three 
days, gives some details, which are of sufficient interest 
to render his adventures worth recording. I give his 
narrative, but in nay own words, his account being some- 
what confused. I add many details which he had omit- 
ted to notice. 

On the morning of the 24th, towards eleven o'clock, 
a vast crowd of armed people, mixed with a number of 
National Guards, drew up in front of the French Thea- 
tre. I have alluded to this movement above. Throuiijh- 
out all parts of the column, the drums beat a march, and 
cries of "Down with Guizot!" "Vive la Reforme !" 
were heard from all quarters. 

Several officers of the Citizpn Guard conducted the 
armed crowd. As the Hag under which they marched, 
bore the words "Down witii Guizot!" one of the multi- 
tude remarked, that this now had become useless, as that 
detested minister had been replaced by MM. Thiers and 
Odillon Barrot. This remark only excited general in- 
dignation, and cries were heard from all parts, of " No 
Thiers! — no fortifications!" This was one of the best 
organized bands of the Republicans. However, the flag 
bearing the inscription of " Down with Guizot !" was 
torn to pieces, while, at the same time, several persons 
cried out " To the Tuileries ! to the Tuileries !" On these 
words, the drums, which had ceased, re-commenced beat- 



152 THE TAKING OF THE T0ILER1ES. 

ing the march, and the column started. The vanguard^ 
which was composed of citizens, all well armed with 
swords, muskets, &c., advanced boldly towards the Car- 
rousel. Arrived at the Rue St. Honore, it was arrested 
hy cries of " To the Chateau d'Eau !" After taking part 
for some time in the attack on this post, the cries of " To 
the Tuileries ! — to the Tuileries !" were redoubled, and 
the crowd proceeded in that direction with the greatest 
animation. 

The Place du Carrousel, which previous to the com- 
bat at the Chateau d'Eau had been covered with troops, 
was now nearly deserted, and the crowd entered at the 
moment when several detachments of cavalry were pro- 
ceeding through the gateway to take up their ground in 
the Cou?t of the Tuileries. Here, in effect, a vast num- 
ber of troops, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, were 
ranged in order of battle in front of the Arc de Tri- 
omphe. All the gates were shut to protect the retreat of 
the troops, when attacked by the people who nov/ arrived 
on the Place du Carrousel, by the Rue Rohan, and the 
gateway opposite to the Bridge du Carrousel. At this 
moment, the great door, situated in the middle of the 
Tuileries, was opened to afford a passage for an outrider 
belonging to the King's household, who had come from 
the stables of the Louvre. But the people having per- 
ceived him enter, a volley was discharged, and his horse 
fell pierced by many bails ; the rider, however, who ap- 
peared unhurt, immediately rose, and was running for 
his life, when he fell, under the Arc de Triomphe, never 
to rise again. One may say, with truth, that the death 
of the unfortunate outrider was a manifestation of the 
irritation of the people, and of their aversion towards 
the King, who had just abdicated. It was, nevertheless, 
an unnecessary and brutal act. Two columns of the 
people, instead of advancing immediately on the Place, 
kept at a sufficient distance to avoid the risk of an un- 
foreseen attack from the vast number of troops who 
guarded the Palace of the Tuileries. 



THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. " 153 

The appearance of the armed people on the Place du 
Carrousel, and the hostile and menacing attitude which 
they displayed, had caused serious fears to the Royal 
Family for their personal safety, and they prepared*^ to 
quit for ever the dwelling of the Kings of France. The 
Governor of the Palace, who had probably related to the 
King the history of the death of his outrider, ran up to the 
gate, where was collected a group of ten or twelve per- 
sons, amongst whom were several members of the staff 
of the National Guard. 

"Gentlemen!" cried he, on arriving, " make them 
cease firing ; tell the people to cease firing. The King 
has abdicated in favour of his grandson, with the Duch- 
ess of Orleans as Regent." 

He was answered, '• Sir, you say that the King has 
abdicated, and yet orders have not been given to evacu- 
ate the Poste of the Chateau d'Eau ; for the last hour it 
has never ceased firing on the people. This indeed re- 
sembles treason." 

" But, gentlemen," answered the Governor, the same 
alluded to above at a later period, " the order ought to 
have been sent, and if any one of you will accompany 
me to the post, I will go and execute whatever you 
desire." 

Before going to the post, he was answered, " Send 
out the troops from the Court of the Tuileries, as the ir- 
ritable people seeing all these soldiers drawn up in bat- 
tle array, may even yet engage with them — order the 
cavalry and artillery to retire, and command that the 
infantry march out, having their muskets reversed." 
The Governor went back, and the scene recorded above 
having; occurred — these commands became orders from 
the Governor, and in a few minutes the court-yard was 
empty. Afterwards, the Governor, accompanied by two 
officers of the National Guard, proceeded to the post of 
the Chateau d'Eau, and on his orders, the fire tempora- 
rily ceased j however, the captain commanding the post- 

14 



154 THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. 

Still being determined not to yield, was run through the 
body with a bayonet while endeavouring to cut his way 
out, and the fighting went on. 

On the departure of the Governor, the people de- 
manded that the gates might be opened to them, and a 
general cry of " to the Tuileries,'"^ having gathered to- 
gether a large number of the armed populace, the crowd 
rushed in without the least resistance being offered 
ihem. Within, several superior officers of the National 
Guards were gathered together for the purpose of taking 
resolutions as to what was to be done. 

It was, however, perceived, on looking at the windows 
of the palace, that it was filled with soldiers, and the 
Colonel of the National Guard immediately prepared the 
means for their retreat, so as to prevent a collision on 
the arrival of the people. Scarcely had he succeeded 
when the crowd reached the spot, and the Tuileries was 
in their possession. The grand staircase was thrown 
open, and thousands rushed up. On beholding the mag- 
nificence of the apartments, a workmen, but little ac- 
customed to such grandeur, could not refrain from call- 
ing out, " Well ! indeed this is a better house than 
mine." 

On traversing the principal apartments, it was re- 
marked, that all the hearths were laid so that the fires 
might be immediately lighted, which was also the case 
in the Hall of the Marshals, and in the throne room. 
Here an officer of the King's household asked the favour 
of a few minutes' halt, and the promise not to sacrifice the 
troops which were in the Palace, as they were on the 
point of retiring. Acceding to his desire, an instant 
after, a hundred Municipal Guards, completely armed, 
were about to be sent away from the Palace, ijowever, 
the people observing them, immediately called out, 
** First lay down your arms !" and the soldiers at once 
complied with the demand. 

After this disarming, the people laid hold of the dags 



THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. 155 

which surmounted the throne, at the same time calling 
out, in alluding to Louis Philippe, " Go, brigand ; now 
vou have neither flao;s nor throne !" In passino- through 
the several apartments, and on arriving at the Council 
Hall of the Ministers, the fire there was ready lighted, 
and the tables arranged as if a council was about to be 
held. Every thing was disposed with the utmost regu- 
larity and order. In the card-room, where the Royal 
Family usually gathered, a large round table, covered 
with green cloth, was placed near the fire, which was 
scarcely half burned away, while several arm-chairs 
were rammed round it. 

The other tables were covered with books, and a pen 
was even found still wet with ink. In the billiard-room, 
the table appeared to have been recently used, as the 
balls and cues were still lying on it. 

All these circumstances rendered it evident that the 
Palace of the Tuileries had been quitted in the most 
precipitate manner, and without the late inhabitants at 
all prepared for it. 

There is, indeed, not the slightest doubt that that 
morning, not one of the Royal Family had any fear of 
further results than a change of Ministry and dissolu- 
tion of the Chambers. Sinsjular delusion ! when all 
Paris was in arms and the army was fraternizing with 
the people. The rest of this narrative I give in the ac- 
tor's own v/ords. " [ shortly after returned to the throne 
room, and having tried the arm-chair, joined a gioup 
and started for the Chamber of Deputies, going down the 
little stairs which leads to the Pont Royal. Crossing 
the bridge, every one spoke of the impression made upon 
him by the sight of the royal apartments, yet warm with 
the presence of those who had abandoned them. Others 
spoke of what was to be done at the Chamber of Depu- 
ties. Some said that the Regency must be rejected ; 
another demanded universal suffrage ; another the Re- 
public. As they went along, and had arrived near the 



156 THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. 

Palace of the Legion of Honour, we met a grenadier of 
the National Guard, who begged us to go back, showing 
us the proclamation of General Lamoriciere as General 
of the National Guard. A gentleman, after reading the 
proclamation, exclaimed, — ' Let us listen to nothing ! we 
are sought to be deceived ! they have no right to m.ake 
any nomination.' I added, ' All power is fallen with the 
vanquished King who constituted it. Let us go to the 
Chamber and declare all power illegal : observing the 
flag, which we have taken from the Tuileries, by this 
you will declare that royalty has fallen beneath you.' 
Cries of ' Let us go ! let us make haste !' 

" Having reached the great grille of the Chamber of 
Deputies, the body of people, who before were standing 
silent, began to cry ' bravo !' The sentinels who guard- 
ed the railing leading to the entrance by which the pub- 
lic were usually admitted, opened to us, and we were able 
to ascend the stairs; but on reaching the door, a General, 
whom I had seen on horseback on arriving, presented 
himself to us, and said, in an imperious tone, ' Gentle- 
men, do not souiUer the Chamber.' At this word souiller, 
I turned round to the pupils of the Polytechnic School, 
and said, ' Do you accept this word souiller V Their re- 
ply was energetically in the negative, and addressing 
the General, I said, ' Monsieur, it is not the place of the 
vanquished to give laws to the conquerors.' My v/ords 
were followed by loud cries from the group. 

" The General now spoke in a calm and persuasive 
tone to the party, who, however, were not to be kept 
back. An efibrt was made to induce them to be satisfied 
with the Regency of the Duchess of Orleans and the 
Thiers-Barrot Ministry. But the Republicans and stu- 
dents of the Polytechnic School were here the masters, 
and loud cries of 'No Ministry ! no Regency ! We 
have the flags of the Tuileries, and will allow no abdica- 
tion, but a deposition.' M. Marie came out and told the 
people he was entirely of their opinion, and sought to 



THE TAKING OF THE TUILERIES. 157 

make it prevail. But the people feared the majority, 
and one of them cried, ' If we do not enter the Chamber 
in time to prevent a deliberation, and vote on the Regen- 
cy question, our victory is useless.' With these words a 
column was formed, who rushed forward, with the flags 
of the royal throne at their head. They entered the 
Chamber, waving their banners and shouting victory." 

Having thus brought the people to the Chamber of 
Deputies, let us describe in detail one of the most extra- 
ordinary scenes recorded in any history. 



14* 



158 THE LAST SITTING OF 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE LAST SITTING OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 

While all these momentous events are occurring, let 
us enter the Chamber of Deputies, and minutely trace 
the last scene of the Parliament of the French monarchy. 
It is worthy of being made an historical picture. 

The Chamber had been convoked for one o'clock ; 
but the general excitement was such, that by twelve 
many deputies had arrived, and in half-an-hour after- 
wards the President took his seat amidst general acclama- 
tions. The persons present were far ditferently agitated 
from what they had been previously, while not one of the 
ex-ministers was to be seen. 

By one o'clock, about three hundred Deputies were 
present, and the seance at once promised to be of a 
stormy character. 

31. Charles Lajiite, who, with difficulty obtained a 
hearing, addressing himself to the Chamber, said : 
" Gentlemen, I shall not detain you long : but I speak to 
all parts of the Chamber, to the right, to the centre, to 
the left, and more particularly to the extremities, praying 
them to sink all angry passions. I shall not enter into 
useless explanations, because you know what is going on. 
I shall simply propose to the Chamber to declare itself in 
permanence." 

Numerous voices. — Yes, yes ; in permanence. 

M. Duller. — I demand to have the proposition post- 
poned, and that, at present, the Chamber be simply con- 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 159 

stituted with the right of acting as future circumstances 
may demand. (Yes, yes.) 

M. de Camhacercs. — I demand that the Chamber re- 
main in abeyance till the end of the present crisis. 
(Yes, yes.) 

The President, — There cannot be any other question 
of permanence than this ; the Chamber has commenced 
its sitting, and will remain open as long as no motion be 
made to adjourn it. The Chamber has only been opened 
in public sitting at the hour when it ought to have done 
so in the Bureaux. The silting is for a moment sus- 
pended. 

The most violent agitation reigned in the Assembly, 
and every one seemed greatly excited by the unwonted 
nature of the proceedings. A report was soon afloat, 
that M. Odillon Barrot had been named President of the 
Council ; and much surprise was manifested at his ab- 
sence. This, however, soon gave way to that of the 
abdication of the King, in favour of the Comte de Paris, 
under the Regency of the Duchess of Orleans. 

The latter was soon rendered certain, by the arrival 
of the Duchess herself, accompanied by her two sons, 
which event took place about half-past one o'clock. 

The Duchess was preceded by M. Lacrosse, Secre- 
tary to the Chamber, and walked over the Bridge de la 
Revolution, surrounded by an immense number of Na- 
tional Guards. On her entrance, three chairs were 
placed at the foot of the tribune. The Duchess seated 
herself in one, and the other two were occupied by the 
Comte de Paris and the Due de Chartres. At this mo- 
ment cries were heard from all parts of the Chamber of 
" Vive la Duchesse d'Orleans !" " Vive le Comte de 
Paris !" " Vive le Roi !" " Vive la Regente !" 

The Dukes of Nemours and Montpensier, who had 
accompanied the Duchess, took their places close to her, 
the party being surrounded by a number of National 
Guards. The Chamber at this moment was in the ut- 



160 THE LAST SITTING OF 

most disorder, both the body of the house and the several 
galleries being crowded by National Guards and work- 
men in blouses, all armed. No one was seated, but all 
were pushing forward with the view of obtaining a hear, 
ing of what was going on, and of defeating any attempt 
at accepting any thing but a Republican form of govern- 
ment ; cries were heard from all parts, of " you cannot 
enter," " you have no right to enter." 

Amidst this scene of disorder and confusion, M, 
Lacrosse requested that M. Dupin might be allowed to 
speak. 

This favour having been obtained, M. Dupin ascended 
the tribune, and said : " Gentlemen, you know the situa- 
tionofthe capital, and the manifestations which have taken 
place ; they have had for result the abdication of Louis 
Philippe, who has disposed of his Crown in favour of his 
grandson, the Comte de Paris, the Duchess of Orleans 
being constituted Regent." 

These words were received with much applause, and 
cries of ¥^6 la Roi ! Vive le Comte de Paris ! Vive la 
R^gente ! 

M. Dupin continued : " Gentlemen, your acclama- 
tions, so precious for the new King and for the Regent, 
are not tlie first with which they have been saluted. 
They have crossed, on foot, the Tuileries, and the Place 
de la Concorde, escorted by the people and the National 
Guards. The Regent has but one wish, that of support- 
ing the national interests, and administering to the glory 
and prosperity of France." These words were received 
with new bravos. This applause was, ho'wever, of the 
most partial nature, as the assembly seemed not in the 
least inclined to accept the propositions offered them. A 
voice from one of the tribunes, called out, " It is too 
late !" and an agitation, impossible to describe, arose in 
all parts of the Chamber. A number of Deputies col- 
lected round the Duchess of Orleans and the Royal 
party -, but they were pushed violently about by throngs 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 161 

of National Guards, and all order seemed at an end. A 
general call was now made for M. Odillon Barrot, but it 
was found that he was absent. 

Numerous voices from the left, and the extreme left, 
called out for a Provisional Government. 

M. Biipin now asked, that the acclamations with 
which the Regent and the Comte de Paris had been re- 
ceived might be inscribed on the register of the day's 
proceeding. 

This demand v/as received with a mingled storm of 
applause and disapprobation. 

M. Marie now ascended the tribune, and endeavoured 
for some time in vain to obtain a hearing. 

M. de Lamariine (^speaking from his seat). — I demand 
that the President suspend the sitting both on account of 
the respect which national representation ought to inspire 
in us, and from 'the presence of the august Princess who 
is now before us. 

Here the Due de Nemours and several Deputies ad- 
vanced towards the Duchess of Orleans, and appeared to 
endeavour to prevail on her to retire. The Duchess 
seemed firmly to refuse, and still continued to keep her 
place. 

The excitement now increased ; and the President in 
vain tried to impress upon the assembly the respect 
which they ought to observe in presence of the Regent 
and her son. Something else, however, besides empty 
courtesy for a woman and child, agitated the gauche and 
the victorious people. One false step, and the whole 
victory of ihe day was lost. 

M. Oudinot. — I ask of the Chamber an instant of at- 
tention, and I appeal to its generous sentiments. The 
Princess has walked alone and on foot, accompanied by 
her children, from the Tuileries to the Chamber of Dep- 
uties, amidst public acclamations. If she wishes to re- 
tire, she shall receive the same attention from us which 
she has lately had from the inhabitants of Paris. We 



162 THE LAST SITTING OF 

will accompany her back ; or, should she wish to re- 
main, she shall run no manner of danger. 

The President. — 1 desire that all strangers may im- 
mediately withdraw, without which no business can be 
proceeded with. 

This demand was met with a storm of disapproba- 
tion. 

Here the Duchess, already half aware the Republic, 
and not a llegent, was required by the people, seemed to 
cede to the entreaties for her retirement. Preceded by 
the Due de Nemours, and followed by her sons, she as- 
cended the steps of the Chamber by the centre passage, 
which leads to the door placed under the clock. Arrived 
at the last seats of the left centre, she then made a halt, 
surrounded by the same parties who had accompanied 
her, and sat still to see the great stake played between 
Monarchy and the Republic. The Dynastic Opposition 
looked now more anxious than even the Conservatives, so 
recently driven from power. The position they had 
struggled for for seven years was now failing them in one 
hour. 

The Deputies of the extreme left remained unmovea- 
ble in their places, and the crowd in the Chamber con- 
tinued to increase. At this moment, M. Odillon Barrot 
entered the hall, and was immediately surrounded by a 
Targe number of Deputies. 

M. Osmont. — Allow M. Barrot to speak. 
M. Marie who had all along kept possession of the 
tribune, now endeavoured to obtain a hearing. 

Many Voices.— M. Odillon Barrot ! M. Odillon Bar- 
rot ! 

M. Cremieux. — Allow M. Marie to speak. M. Odil- 
lon Barrot will follow. 

M. Marie. — Gentlemen, in the situation in which 
Paris is at present, you have not a moment to lose in tak- 
ing measures which may have some authority with the 
population. Since this morning, the evil has made great 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 163 

progress ; and if you waste time in useless deliberations, 
there is no telling to what point the disorder may pro- 
ceed. It is, therefore, necessary to take a bold step. Just 
now, the Duchess of Orleans was announced as Regent ; 
but a law exists which has appointed the Duke of Ne- 
mours as Regent, and which you cannot, at the present 
moment, revoke. You must obey the law. However, 
the kingdom must be provided with a powerful execu- 
tive ; and, at present, I demand that a Provisional Gov- 
ernment be instituted — (loud cries of bravo ! bravo ! from 
the tribunes) — not to make laws, but to consult with the 
two Chambers on the necessity of satisfying the wishes 
of the country. This is the only means of establishing 
tranquillity, and time must not at present be lost in vain 
discourse. I propose, therefore, a Provisional Govern- 
ment. 

M. de Genoude tried to obtain a hearing, but his 
friends prevented him. 

M. Cre?nieux.— In such a moment, it is impossible 
that every one can be agreed as to the propriety of pro- 
claiming the Duchess of Orleans as Rej2;ent, and the 
Comte de Paris as King. The people will not accept 
this proposition. In 1830, we were in too great a 
hurry, and we are now obliged to go over the same 
ground. At present, we are determined to take things 
leisurely, regularly, legally, determinedly. The Pro- 
visional Government, (bravo ! bravo I) which you shall 
name, vv'ill not solely be charged to maintain order, but 
to form institutions, which shall protect all parts of the 
population — that which was promised ever since 1830, 
but which we have never been able to obtain. I have 
the greatest respect for the Duchess of Orleans — (cries 
of bravo! from the centre, which elicited tumultuous 
disapprobation from the tribunes) ; and I have just now 
conducted the royal family to their carriages. (A voice, 
a good journey to them !) The population of Paris has 
shown the greatest respect for the misfortunes of the 



164 THE LAST SITTING OF 

King and his family ; but we, who are sent here to 
make laws, ought not to violate them. A law already 
agreed to has disposed of the Regency, which cannot be 
annulled at present. Let us name a Provisional Gov- 
ernment, which shall be just, firm, vigorous, a friend of 
the country, to which it can speak, and which will make 
it understand that, if we give it rights, there are also du- 
ties which it ought to fulfd in return. Believe me, we 
are to-day arrived at what we ought to have had in July. 
1830. We do not want only the changing of a few 
men. Now let us learn to profit by events, and let us 
not leave the task of renewing this Revolution to our 
sons, I propose a Provisional Government of five mem- 
bers. (Loud applause.) 

The Abb6 Genoude. — You cannot form either a Pro- 
visional Government or a Regency. The people must 
be convoked if any thing is to be done — (interruption) — 
their consent must be obtained. In 1830 you did not ap- 
peal to them. You see what has arrived in consequence of 
this error. The same will happen again, and you will 
see the greatest evils arise out of your proceedings of this 
day. (Agitation.) 

M. Odillon Barrot. — Never had we need of more cool- 
ness and prudence. Let us all be united in the senti- 
ment of saving the country from the dreadful evils of a 
civil war. (Applause.) Nations do not die, but they 
may become enfeebled by intestine dissensions ; and 
France never required all her grandeur and force more 
than at present. Our duty is traced out for us. It has 
that simplicity which impresses a whole nation when it 
addresses itself to the most generous passions — to courage 
and honour. The crown of July rests on the head of a 
child and of a woman. (Applause from the centre.) 

The Duchess of Orleans here rose, and bowed to the 
Assembly, as did also the young Comte de Paris, on 
whose little head rested the dim shadow of a crown. 

M. Odillon Barrot, — I make a solemn appeal. 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 165 

M. de la Rochejaquelin. — You are not aware what you 
are doing. 

The Duchess of Orleans a second time rose, as if about 
to speak. 

Many voices. — Hear ! hear ! Allow the Duchess to 
be heard. 

"Others. — Go on, M. Barrot. 

M. Barrot. — It is in the name of the political liberty 
of our country, and, above all, in the name of public 
order, and union in circumstances so difficult, that I de- 
mand the nation to rally round these representatives of 
the Revolution of July. The more grandeur and gene- 
rosity there is to be maintained, and the more purity and 
innocence is to be supported, the more my country will 
devote itself to the task. On my part, I shall be happy 
to devote my existence and all my abilities to forward the 
success of this cause, which is that of the true liberty of 
my country. (Applause from the Centre.) 

M. de la Rochejaquelin. — I demand a hearing. 

M. Odillon Barrot. — Perhaps it is to discuss the ques- 
tion which was decided by the revolution of July. I ac- 
knowledge, gentlemen, that the circumstances are diffi- 
cult, but there is, in this country, such elements of gran- 
deur, generosity, and good sense, that it is only necessary 
to make an appeal to the population, for them to rally 
round this standard. (Yes, yes.) Here we have the 
means of obtaining all the liberties which a nation has 
any right to pretend to, combined with that public order 
so necessary under all circumstances. Our duty is sim- 
ple i it is traced out to us by honour, and by the true in- 
terests of our country. If we do not follow it with pru- 
dence, perseverance, and courage, I know not what may 
be the consequences ; but be convinced, that he who has 
the courage to undertake the responsibility of a civil war, 
raised up in the bosom of our noble France, is highly 
blameable towards his country, towards the liberties of 
France, and towards the entire world. For my own 

15 



166 THE LAST SITTING OF 

part, gentlemen, I cannot undertake this responsibility. 
The Regency of the Duchess of Orleans, and a Minister 
approved of by the people, will be the surest guarantees ; 
and, afterwards, an appeal to the country in all its liberty. 
By these means, the evils attendant on civil war may be 
avoided. 

31. Ledru-Rollin. — I demand a hearing. 

M. Barrot, continued. — This is my opinion, and I 
will not undertake the responsibility of any other arrange- 
ment. 

M. de la RocJiejaqiielin. — I feel the utmost respect for 
what is painful in the situations of other persons. I am, 
perhaps, more than any otber, called on to defend the in- 
terests of the people and of liberty. But I must reply 
to M. Odillon Barrot, that I have not the intention of 
supporting a particular opinion ; but I think he has not 
forv/arded the interests he wishes to serve by what he 
has just now said. However, it perhaps belongs to them 
who have in some time past served Kings, now to talk 
about them to the country and the people. (Several 
voices — Very well, very well.) To-day you are no- 
thing, 3^ou have no power. (From the Centre — How so ? 
— how so ?) 

M. de Mornay. — We cannot accept that. (Loud 
cries from all sides, of Order, Order.) 

The President. — M. de la Rochejaquelin, you forget 
the respect due to the Chamber ; I call you to order. 

M. de la Rocliejaqiielin. — Allow me to speak. When 
I say that you are nothing — I do not mean that the 
Chamber is annulled — I say that it does not exist. 
(Interruptions). I say, gentlemen, that we must convoke 
the nation, and then — 

At this moment, a vast crowd of armed men. Na- 
tional Guards, students, workmen, &c., broke into the 
Chamber; they were dressed in the most fantastical man- 
ner ; some in blouses, with red sashes round their waists 
and dragoons' helmets on their heads, others with cross 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 167 

belts over their shoulders, and wearing infantry caps, 
and long red streamers waving from the barrels of their 
muskets ; others again, in their ordinary clothes, but 
armed with a sword, a pike, a lance, or even a large 
heavy bar of wood or iron. The aspect of some was 
most ferocious and animated, and to all appearance there 
were some who only wanted a pretext to commence a 
general slaughter, but the great majority were earnest 
Republicans, bent on assuring their hard-earned victory. 
Hundreds of tri-coloured flags were waving about the 
Chamber, which heightened the interest of the scene. 

A number of these persons at once seized on such 
of the Deputies' seats as remained unoccupied, several 
ascended the tribune, and fixed themselves firmly there. 
The Chamber was filled with cries from all sides, of: 
We wish for no King ! Vive la Ropublique ! and an 
awful scene of confusion followed. 

The President, perceiving v/hat had happened, and 
in order to express his disapprobation, as well as to show 
that it was impossible that the sitting could be continued 
under such circumstances, put on his hat. This caused 
a dreadful tumult, and numerous cries of" Off with your 
hat. President !" were heard from the crowd. Several 
muskets were even pointed at him, and the agitation and 
violence seemed to increase ten-fold. 

■M. de Mornay. — Mr. President— suspend, but do not 
raise the sitting at the present moment. 

The President. — There is no sitting at present. 

A person not belonging to the Chamber, M. Cheval- 
lier, late editor of the " Bibliotheque Historique," here 
ascended the tribune. (Great confusion). 

M. Chevallier. — Gentlemen, I shall speak with the 
utmost moderation. (You have no right to speak.) I 
come to propose the sole expedient by means of which 
peace may be restored. If you wish to save yourselves, 
listen to me. Beware of proclaiming the Comte de Paris 
without beina^ authorized to do so ; but if the Duchess 



168 THE LAST SITTING OF 

of Orleans and the Comte de Paris have sufficient courage 
to proceed to the Boulevards, in the midst of the Na- 
tional Guards and the people. I will be responsible for 
their safety, if the people will not consent to receive him 
as King. 

Numerous voices. — Vive la Republique — enough, 
enough ! 

M. Chevallier. — All that you have to do at present 
is to 2ive us a Government, and to give it immediately. 
You cannot leave a whole nation without directing heads 
— without magistrates ; this is the first duty you have to 
satisfy. (The tumult prevented the speaker from being 
heard.) The Comte de Paris must be carried by the 
people to the Chamber. 

A Member. — He is here, and if you hesitate 

All eyes turned to the place lately occupied by the 
Duchess of Orleans and her sons, but at the time when 
the crowd broke into the chamber, the Duchess and her 
attendants had gone out by the door opposite to the tri- 
bune. 

]\1. Chevallier. — It is certain the Republic will be 
proclaimed — (renewed confusion). 

A citizen, dressed as an officer, and who was said to 
be M. Dumoulin, Commander of the Hotel-de-Yille in 
1830, ascended the tribune, and there planted the tri- 
coloured flag. 

''Gentlemen,*'" cried M. Dumoulin, '-'the people have 
to-day, as in 1830, re- conquered their independence and 
their liberty. You know that the throne has just been 
broken to pieces in the Tuileries, and thrown out at the 
window." 

M. Cremieux, Ledru-RoUin, and Lamartine, appeared 
at the same moment at the tribune. 

Voices from the crowd. — Xo more Bourbons ! Down 
with the traitors ! A Provisional Government immedi- 
ately ! 

Increased confusion, during which many Deputies re- 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 169 

tired by the door at the bottom of the hall, as their situa- 
tion at the present moment became rather perilous. 
Their places were immediately occupied by the crowd. 

M. Ledru-Rollin (addressing himself to the audience). 
— In the name of the people whom you represent, I de- 
mand an instant of silence. 

A voice. — In the name of Ledru-Rollin, silence ! 

A voice. — A Provisional Government. 

M. Mauguin. — Only be quiet, and you will have a 
Provisional Government ! 

M. Ledru-Rollin (overpowering the tumult with his 
voice). — In the name of the armed people, masters of 
Paris, I protest against the kind of government which 
has just been proposed to you. (Cries of " Bravo ! bravo !" 
and immense applause from the men in blouses, and their 
comrades in the public tribunes. The shouts were most 
thrilling and enthusiastic.) I do not say any thing new, 
as already, in 1842, when the law of the Regency was 
discussed in this same Chamber, I declared that it could 
not pass without an appeal to the country. You have just 
heard of the glorious Revolution of 1789. Take care 
that the men who now speak of it know its true spirit. 
In 1789, in the text of the Constitution, it was declared 
that the constituted Assembly, with special powers, had 
not the right to proclaim a Regency, without making an 
appeal to the country. It is the text itself of the Consti- 
tution of 1791. Now, gentlemen, these last two days we 
have fought for our rights, and we are now prepared to 
fight for the Constitution of 1791, which now hovers over 
the country, and which declares that, without an appeal 
to the people, a Regency is impossible. (Cries of " Yes, 
yes ! It is not otherwise possible. No Regency !" &c. 
&;c., accompanied with loud cheers, brandishing of 
swords, raising of muskets, and a din and tumult beyond 
description.) How does it come that the majority now 
wishes to change a law, without deliberation, already 
made by them against our eflbrts in 1842 1 The coun- 

15* 



170 ' THE LAST SITTING OF 

try is not prepared for it. In the name of justice, which, 
even in revolutions, ought to be respected, because justice 
alone gives strength, I protest against this new usurpa- 
tion. (Applause.) You have talked of order, and the 
loss of life consequent from the present circumstances. 
Well, I declare that bloodshed cannot cease till justice 
has been satisfied,' and those who have already fought, 
will again fight this evening, if their rights be not ac- 
knowledged. In the name of the people, who are all- 
powerful, I ask what guarantees the Government, which 
you wish to introduce, will give us ? (Here a person 
endeavoured to interrupt the speaker, but he was imme- 
diately turned out.) 

M. Berryer (addressing himself to M. Ledru-Rollin). 
— Put the question of a Provisional Government. 

M. Ledru-Rollin. — In thus speaking in the name of 
the peopl#, I declare 1 only want justice, and I invoke 
two souvenirs. In 1815, Napoleon wished to abdicate in 
favour of the King of Rome. The country was in arms, 
and it refused. In 1830, Charles X. wished to abdicate 
in favour of his grandson, the country was in arms, and 
it refused. 

M. Berryer. — Conclude. We know our history. 

M. Ledru-RoIUn. — To-day the country is in arms, 
and you can do nothing without its consent. I demand 
then a Provisional Government — not named by the 
Chamber, but by the people. A Provisional Government, 
and an appeal to a Convention, which will regulate their 
rights. 

M. de Lamartine, who was at the tribune, advanced 
to speak. 

Many voices. — Lamartine ! — Lamartine ! (Loud cries 
of "Hear, hear," and much applause.) 

M. de Lamartine. — Gentlemen, I shared most deeply 
in the sentiments of sorrow which have just now agitated 
this Assembly, on seeing one of the most touching spec- 
tacles which human annals can present, that of an 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 171 

august Princess coming forward, with her innocent son, 
after having left her deserted Palace to place herself 
under the protection of the people. (" Very good ! Very 
good !" " Hear, hear !" and " silence !" while Lamar- 
tine continued.) I repeat my phrase. 1 was saying, 
gentlemen, that I partake as deeply as any one the senti- 
ments which must have agitated many. And here I 
make no distinction, for the moment allows of none, 
between the national representation and the representa- 
tion by citizens of the whole people. But if I shared in 
that testimony of respect for a great human misfortune, 
I also share in the solicitude, in the admiration which 
the people should inspire now for three days' fighting 
against a perfidious Government, and to re-establish on 
an immoveable basis the empire of order and liberty. 
But, Gentlemen, let us not deceive ourselves, let us not 
suppose that a spontaneous acclamation of this Chamber, 
drawn from us by emotion and public sentiment, can 
replace the co-operation of 35,000,000 of men. I know, 
that which one acclamation proclaims, another acclama- 
tion may undo ; but whatever Government may be 
given to the country in the crisis at which we are ar- 
rived, it is necessary, for the people's sake, who have 
shed their blood in the struggle, that they have a popular 
Government cemented by solid definitive guarantees. 
Well, gentlemen, how shall we find the conditions neces- 
sary for such a Government in the midst of the floating 
elements of this tempest by which we are carried along, 
and where one mighty billow comes to o'ertop that wave 
by which you have been brought into this Chamber ? By 
descending into the very depth of the country itself, 
boldly sounding the great mystery of the right of nations, 
from which proceed all order, all truth, all liberty. 
(Great applause in the tribunes). Instead of having re- 
course to these subterfuges — to these surprises — to these 
emotions, of which a country, as you perceive, sooner or 
later repents, in order to maintain one of those fictions 



172 THE LAST SITTING OF 

which have no stability, and which leave no solid traces 
behind them, I propose to you a form of Government, 
which I would have first indicated had I been allowed 
to speak ; a Government v/hich will re-establish public 
order, which will put a stop to the present bloodshed, and 
the civil war which now rages amongst the citizens. 
(Applause, during which many of the nev/ comers 
sheathed their swords.) A Government which will sus- 
pend the misunderstandings which have existed for 
several years past amongst the different classes of citi- 
zens, which prevents us from acting as one people, and 
from lovinoj each other as a nation ought. I demand, 
therefore, for the sake of public peace, and to put an end 
to all further bloodshed, that a Provisional Government 
be instituted, (applause), a Government which will pre- 
judge nothing, neither our resentments, nor our sym- 
pathies towards the definitive Government which shall 
be established when the nation has been consulted, and 
in the constituting of v/hich every one will possess, in 
his title of man. the right of citizen. (Tremendous ap- 
plause from the people in the tribunes.) 

From all parts. — Name the members of the Provi- 
sional Government. 

M. de Lamartine. — Listen. The duties of the Pro- 
visional Government will be, first to establish the 
necessary peace between the citizens ', secondly, to take 
immediate measures to call together the whole country 
— to consult with the National Guard, and to afford a 
voice to every man as a citizen. 

(At this moment a loud and imperative knocking was 
heard at the door of one of the upper tribunes, which 
was soon driven in by continued strokes from the butt- 
ends of muskets, and a band of armed men rushed in, 
apparently newly arrived from a combat. Several of 
them forced their way to the front seats, and directed 
their muskets at the Deputies below. These demonstra- 
tions were accompanied by cries of " down with the 



THE CHAMBER, OF DEPUTIES. 173 

Chamber ! — down with the Deputies !" One of these 
men pointed his gun in the direction of the tribune. 
This was met with cries of " Do not fire ! it is M. de 
Lamartine who speaks," on which the man lowered his 
musket. The tumult here became inexpressible. 

The President. — Since I cannot obtain silence, I de- 
clare the sitting raised, (and on uttering these words, 
M. Sauzet withdrew, accompanied by many of the 
Members). 

Here the Assembly of Deputies ceased, but the peo- 
pie, armed with muskets, swords, &c., together with Na- 
tional Guards, and a few deputies belonging to the left, 
remained in the Chamber. 

After some moments of tumult, M. Dupont de I'Eure, 
took the President's chair, M. de Lamartine being still 
in the tribune. 

Many voices. — Name the members of the Provisional 
Government. 

M. de Lamartine strove to overtop the tumult by his 
voice, but in vain. 

Some voices. — Dupont de I'Eure ! Dupont de I'Eure ! 

Other voices. — He is in the chair ; silence ! Listen 
to him. Yes, yes ! 

M. de Lamartine (in the midst of clamour) — I will 
read the names. 

JNu?nerous voices. — Silence ! Silence ! 

M. de Lamartine. — Gentlemen, I will read the names. 
(Increased clamour.) Arago, Carnot — (the clamour 
continues.) 

A voice. — Gentlemen, M. Dupont de I'Eure presides 
over us ! 

Numerous voices. — A Provisional Government. 

M. . — M. Dupont de TEure will name the Pro- 
visional Government. (Loud applause.) 

M. Chevalier. — If you wish any thing to be done, let 
the orator speak. 

M. Marion, Deputy, to M. de Lamartine. — Do not 
quit the tribune. 



174 THE LAST SITTING OF 

A voice. — Listen to the proclamation of names ! 

An armed man. — All we wish is a moment of silence ; 
all we wish is to hear the names of the persons who are 
to compose the Provisional Government. 

Another 'person. — On silence depends our salvation. 
I call for it, that M. Dupont de I'Eure may be heard. 

A voicf. — M. Dupont de I'Eure before all ! 

Another voice. — Vice la Repuhlique^! 

Many persons here pressed round M. -de Lamartine, 
and engaged him to re-establish silence, that he might 
then speak. 

M. de Lamartine. — A moment's silence, gentlemen. 
(Silence was obtained for an instant.) Gentlemen, the 
proposition w^hich has been made is accomplished. The 
Provisional Government will now be named. (Bravo ! 
bravo 1 Vive Lamartine !) Now, gentlemen — 

Nti7Jierous voices. — Name ! name ! 

M. de Lamartine. — The)'' shall be named. 

M. de Lamartine, after waiting in vain for some 
time, until calmness was established, retired behind the 
tribune. 

M. Dumoulin then ascended the tribune, and sought 
to make himself heard, but a continual noise prevented 
him. 

M. Dmnoulin, (standing on the bureaux of the Secre- 
taries of the Chamber). — Gentlemen, silence is requested 
of you, that we may mention the names of the Provisional 
Government. (Yes! silence!) 

31. Dupont de I'Eure. — A Provisional Government is 
proposed to you. (Yes ! yes ! Silence.) 

The Reporters. — Silence while the names are being 
read ! 

M. Dupont de I'Eure. — These are the names. (Si- 
lence !) 

Numerous voices. — Name them ! Name them ! 

M. Dupont de I'Eure. — Arago, Lamartine, Dupont 
de I'Eure, Cremieux — (noise and agitation). 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 175 

M. de Lamariine. — Silence, gentlemen. If you wish 
the members of the Provisional Government to accept the 
mission which you have confided to them, at all events 
they must be proclaimed. Our honourable friend cannot 
be heard amidst this noise. 

A voice. — Let it be known that the people will not 
have any royalty. They must have the Republic. 

Several voices. — Let us deliberate immediately. 

A voice. — Be seated, be seated ! let us sit down. Let 
us take the place of the purchased Deputies. 

Another voice. — No more Bourbons ! a Provisional 
Government, and then the Republic ! 

M. de la Rochejaquelin. — They will not have stolen 
it. It will be un prele rendu. 

A voice. — One moment of silence, or v/e shall do 
nothing. 

Another voice. — We demand the proclamation of the 
Republic ! 

M. Dupont de I'Eure then read the following names, 
which the reporters, of whom scarce any but those of the 
Moniteur now remained, repeated loudly :™ 

M. Lamartine. (Yes ! yes !) 

M. Ledru-Rollin. (Yes! yes!) 

M. Arago. (Yes ! yes !) 

M. Dupont. (Yes ! yes !) 

A voice. — M. Bureaux de Pusy ! (M. Bureaux de 
Pusy made signs of denial.) 

M. Dupont de VEure. — M. Marie. (Yes ! yes ! 
No!) 

Some voices. — George Lafayette ! (Yes !) But the 
remembrance of the way in which a Lafayette had 
brought about Louis Philippe overpowered the ayes, and 
the noes prevailed. 

Numerous voices. — La Republique ! La Republique ! 

A voice. — The members of the Provisional Govern- 
ment must cry vive la Republique/ before they are 
accepted. 



176 THE LAST SITTING OF 

Another voice. — I demand the dismissal of every ab- 
sent Deputy. 

One of the people. — We must take the Provisional 
Government to the Hotel de Ville. We ask for a wise 
and moderate Government, without blood ; but we must 
have the Republic. 

M. Bocage. — To the Hotel de Ville ! with Lamartine 
at our head. (M. Lamartine here went out, followed by 
a large body of citizens.) 

After their departure, the tumult continued in the 
crowd, which remained dispersed over the seats of the 
Chamber, in the hemicycle, (fee. 

M. Ledru-Rollin. — Citizens, you understand that you 
are doing a very grave act in naming a Provisional Gov- 
ernment. 

ISumerous voices. — We want none ! Yes ! yes ! we 
do! 

M. Ledru-Rollin. — In the circumstances in which we 
are placed, that which the citizens should do is to grant 
silence, and listen to the men who will undertake the 
office of representatives. In consequence, listen to me. 
We are about to do a grave thing. There were recla- 
mations just now. A Provisional Government cannot be 
lightly formed. Will you allow me to read to you the 
names which are proclaimed by the majority ? (Listen 1 
Hear ! hear !) As I read the names, so do you, as you 
agree to them, say yes or no. (Very good ! hear, hear !) 
And that there may be something official, I beg Mes- 
sieurs, the reporters of the Moniteur, to take notice of the 
names as I pronounce them, because we cannot give to 
France names that have not been approved. (Go on ! 
go on !) I read, 

Dupont de I'Eure. (Yes ! yes !) 

Arago. (Yes! yes !) 

Lamartine. (Yes ! yes !) 

Garnier Pages. (Yes ! yes !) 

Marie. (Yes ! yes !) 

Cremieux. (Yes ! yes !) 



THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. 177 

A voice in the crowd. — Cremieux, bravo ! 

Other voices. — Be quiet ! Order ! 

M. Ledru-RoUin. — Those who are against, let them 
hold up their hands. (No ! no ! Yes ! yes !) If you 
will allow me, gentlemen, I will add another word. The 
Provisional Government Vv^hich has just been named has 
great and immense duties to fulfil. We must close this 
sitting, to go to the seat of Government, and there take the 
necessary measures to stop the effusion of blood, and se- 
cure the consecration of the people's rights. 

Numerous voices— Yes, yes ! to the Hotel de Ville ! 

A scJioIar of the Polytechnic School. — You see that 
none of the members of the Provisional Government want 
the Republic. We shall be deceived, as in 1830. 

Many voices. — Vive la Republique ! 

Other voices. — Vive la Republique ! Vive Ledru- 
Rollin ! To the Hotel de Ville ! To the Hotel de Ville ! 

A young man. — The seat of the Government is not at 
the Hotel de Ville ; it is here. 

M. Ledru-Rollin here retired, followed by a large 
body of citizens. 

The crowd, which had invaded the Chamber, here 
began to diminish. A young man, who appeared to be 
a student, ascended the tribune, and tried to make him- 
self heard. A citizen mounted on the marble of the tri- 
bune, waving a sword. There was a cry of vive la Re- 
publique I Let us go to the Hotel de Ville ! 

A young man at the tribune. — No more civil list ! 

Another. — No more royalty ! 

Some one here called attention to the great tableau 
placed above the bureau and behind the arm-chair of the 
President, which represented Louis Philippe, swearing to 
the Charter, and cries of " Down with it ! destroy it !" 
were immediately heard. Several men mounted on the 
tribune endeavoured to cut at it with their swords. A 
workman, armed with a double-barrelled gun, who was 
in the Mmicycle, cried, " Stop ! Let me have a shot at 

16 



179 LAST SITTING OF THE CHAMBER. 

Louis Philippe !" And his two barrels were discharged 
at the picture, amid divers cries. 

A workman (rushing to the tribune). — Respect the 
monuments of art ! Why destroy ? Why fire at these 
pictures ? AVe have shown that the people are not to be 
deceived ; let us show that the people know how to re- 
spect monuments, and thus honour our victory. 

These words, which were pronounced in the most 
energetic and eloquent manner, and with a sincerity and 
conviction of truth which left no doubt in any.mind, were 
enthusiastically applauded. Several persons crowded 
round him, and asked him his name. He replied The- 
odore Six, carpet-maker. 

After this, the crowd dispersed, and soon the hall vv^as 
empty. At four o'clock, there remained no one in the 
Chamber. 

Thus ended this scene, unparalleled in the history of 
any revolution. The legislature of a powerful nation 
meet in the morning as the advisers of a monarch ; he 
abdicates, and sends them a King and Regent ; the 
people interfere, and the Republic is decreed ! 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 179 



CHAPTER XIIL 

PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

I NOW return to the narrative of my personal obser-^ 
vation during the day of the 24th. I arrived, I said, on 
the Place du Carrousel, and after having looked about 
me awhile, moved with a column of the people to enter 
the Tuileries, which not many weeks before, I had ex- 
amined at my leisure, and when silence reigned — for even 
its temporary master was absent. Now, a far different 
spectacle presented itself. The nation had driven the 
race of Kings from iheir palaces, and were rushing in to 
claim the rights of conquerors. Entering by the gate 
beneath the Hall of Marshals, I found myself hustled 
amid a dense mass of people upon the great staircase. 
Men in blouses, workmen, women, artisans. National 
Guards, were there, all armed, thronging, one column 
up, the other down. So terrific was the pushing, that I 
more than once lost my breath, and was carried up sev- 
eral steps of the magnificent staircase without touching 
them with my feet. All, however, was friendly and good 
humoured in the acts of the people, who cried out every 
now and then to be more cautious. Some mischievous 
boys, who were breaking the superb lamps over our 
heads, were instantly prevented, and in a moment more 
we could breathe in the ample galleries of this splendid 
historic residence. 

The apartment, or rather gallery, into which I first 
entered, presented a sad spectacle. All the windows 



180 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

were broken, the curtains torn down, the lamps smashed, 
while on the mirrors were written with chalk, A has 
Louis Philippe f Vive la Republique /- Nothing inde- 
cent, gross, or in bad taste. Wonder was the prevailing 
feature on every face. Moving along the gallery, I 
reached the elegant and well-appointed theatre, crowds 
filled the boxes and pit, while others danced upon the 
stage. Every where devastation, destruction; princi- 
pally effected by boys and young men. 

In one instance, where the bearer of an immense 
iron bar was knocking up the floor with it, the populace 
interfered and made him desist. The chief occupation 
of the armed mob, who had been fighting, was firing 
guns out of windows, while others paused to examine 
the pictures on the walls, every where destroying every 
portrait, statue, and efiigy of Louis Philippe. Turning 
back, I passed the chapel, into which few entered, and 
those took off their hats, and found several persons try- 
ing the pianos in the gallery. A little farther, I saw a 
dense crowd occupying the Hall of Marshals, where 
none of the pictures had been touched. I could not help 
smiling, on noticing among the crowd of begrimed, 
wearied, and excited faces of the people. National 
Guards, students, &c., a gentleman, dressed as for a 
ball, with patent-leather boots, freshly shaven, seated on 
a couch, with a pair of pistols negligently thrown upon 
his knees, as if he had been fightingf. 

From the busy din of this I passed into the Salle 
Blanche, where formerly, met that great convention 
which has left so mighty a name behind it, and found it 
filled with a rejoicing crowd from the faubourgs. 
Nothing was being touched ; but blacksmiths, lock- 
smiths, smiths, masons, water-carriers, were lolling in 
the arm-chairs of royalty, and seeming not a little to 
enjoy the treat. 

Beyond this was the throne room, where an excited 
party were pulling down the av/ning, flags, &c., that 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 181 

waved over the throne, which was itself preserved to be 
borne in triumph along the Boulevards, and after an 
hour's procession, to be burnt on the site of the ancient 
Bastille, in the presence of a prodigious crowd, who 
hailed with enthusiastic shouts, the departure of royalty 
in smoke. Loud cries and hallooing greeted the fall of 
each of the insignia of royalty in this apartment. Having 
watched awhile the disposition of the mighty populace, 
who had trampled under foot, army, monarchy, legisla- 
ture, all ; I traversed rapidly the other apartments, and 
entered the gallery of the Louvre, comparatively empty, 
save where a few Polytechnic scholars moved about 
as guardians of the nation's property. 

And the nation's property was respected ! The 
King's apartments, once crossed, all was quiet, order, 
and stillness. Here and there was written up, or chalked 
upon the floor, " Propriete Nationale." This was 
enough. 

Leaving the Louvre, I crossed the Place, and once 
more entered the narrow Rue du Musee. Arriving at 
the end, where for so many hours, I had witnessed the 
attack on the Chateau d'Eau, 1 found it flooded with 
water^ Firemen and people were both equally anxious 
to put out the flames. The place was densely crowded. 
Crossing it, I entered the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais 
Royal, with the intention of visiting my wounded coun- 
tryman. But a sentry, in a blouse, prevented me, and I 
turned away to gaze at the scene around. 

At all the windows of the Palais Royal were masses, 
of people pitching out furniture, books, maps, planks, 
every thing they could find, to make immense bonfires. 
Out of the same window, where Louis Philippe had, in 
1830, scattered with his own hand his proclamation to 
the people — the people were scattering the leaves of his 
library, and all the other papers and documents which 
they could find. 

It was a singular spectacle. At every avenue sen- 
16=^ 



182 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

tries of the people. Above, muskets going off in all di- 
rections, out of the windows, broken utensils of all 
kinds, chairs, tables &c.. flying over our heads ; on 
the Place, a busy aninnated people ; opposite, the vast 
corps -de- garde, a funeral pile smouldering over its vic- 
tims, a barricade still guarded with the red flag flying. 
The doors of the staircase were guarded by National 
Guards, who sought to prevent the people from going up. 
In most cases they succeeded. 

Traversing the perystyle, I entered the great Court 
of the Palais Royal, which I with difficulty crossed from 
the mass of blazing fires. I must not forget to mention, 
that under the perystyle, I had to drink the health of the 
Republic in a wine-glass of some syrup from the royal 
case, which was any thing but pleasant. My intention 
was to cross the Galerie d'Orleans, but I found the whole 
length turned into a hospital for the wounded, and a 
refuge for the dead. 

I retraced my steps, passed through the covered way 
leading to the Rue de Valois, and proceeding between' 
burning piles entered the Rue Montesquieu. After 
pausing to admire a splendid barricade at the corner of 
the Rue de Boulor, I entered the Passage Vero-Oodat, 
and thence gained the Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, one 
mass of barricades, erected under the guidance of the 
editors of the Reforme. 

On the door of this office, I paused to read. There 
was written up : 

" Provisional Government." 

But the list was not the same as that published at the 
Chamber of Deputies. It was composed of Arago, 
Flocon, Louis Blanc, Recurt, Lamartine, Ledru-Rollin, 
Albert, Marrast. 

While I was reading, a friend tapped me on the 
shoulder. I turned round. It was a joyous Republican, 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 183 

who dragged me up the dark stairs of the house, and 
into the office of the Reforme. At a table sat six per- 
sons writing. They were surrounded by armed men, 
who cried aloud for copies of the list. The six men 
were writing, as fast as they could, the list, and handing 
it to anxious friends, who took copies, and hurried away 
to proclaim the names on the barricades. I asked for a 
copy. 

" One for the Place Vendome !" cried one. 

" One for the Hotel de Ville !" cried another. 

" Leave put that Marrast !" said a third, a short 
thick-set man, with a musket in his hand, "I know him. 
perdu la Tribune. ^^ 

The men continued copying in the most imperturbable 
manner. 

'' A Deputation from the Section of — — — ," said 
the doorkeeper, and one of the six men rose to greet it. 

^^ Have you no printed copies ?" exclaimed many. 

^' They are all exhausted," said another; "they 
were printed in the night. We did not expect such a 
demand." 

" Will the R&forme appear to-morrow ?" 

" I know not. I believe the writers will be too much 
engaged." 

I believe them, for from the lead of a journal with 
scarce enough abonnes to keep it alive, they have, by a 
bold stroke, attained to the lead of a nation. Ferdinand 
Flocon is one of the Provisional Government. 

I demanded a copy of the proclamation. It was 
given me ; and then 1 left that small dark room, filled 
with bustle and excitement, where, surrounded by the 
victorious combatants of the day, six unknov/n men were 
sending forth to the millions of France the names of 
their rulers for the nonce. And all because they had 
much faith, much courage, much patience. Putting up 
my precious copy of the document, which would soon be 
rare, I moved up the street, and to my astonishment, 



184 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

found tine Post-Office in full activity. Protected by ao 
imposing force of National Guards, the letter-carriers 
were coming and going as if there had been no fighting 
all day. How this came about, one of the actors in the 
scene, a writer in the Reforme shall tell. 

" After the struggle at the Palais Royal, and after a 
visit, by way of politeness, to the Tuileries, those of the 
combatants connected with the Reforme, either in the 
character of writers, or as particular friends of the Jour- 
nal, collected in its bureau, and at once occupied them- 
selves with the formation of a Provisional Government, 
Four names were at first chosen, F. Arago, Ferd. Flocon. 
Louis Blanc, and Albert (ouvrier), and then they occupied 
themselves in mastering the two administrations, where 
importance was so immense,- — the Post-Oflice and the 
Prefecture of Police," The citizens present unanimously 
selected Elienne Arago to fill the ofHce of Director of 
the Post-Oflice, and Marc Coussidiere, to fill that of the 
ex-prefect, Delessert. Three citizens joined themselves 
with Etienne to serve him, not as an escort, but as a* 
committee of installation. He wanted but one more to 
make the four men, and a corporal. 

Many National Guards were collected in the court 
of the Hotel, the ranks opened before Etienne Arago,, 
when he announced the mission with which he was in- 
vested. A few minutes after, he entered the private 
cabinet of the Count Dejean, Director-General of the 
Post-Office. 

" In the name of the Republic," he said, " Citoyen 
Dejean, you are dismissed. In the name of the Re- 
public, I come to replace you in the functions of Director- 
General of the Post-Office." 

"But, Monsieur!" said M. Dejean, standing up, 
" have you a commission — a title ?" 

" I have nothing but my word." 

" But, Monsieur, I — " 

" I have my word, and my name is Etienne Arago.'" 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 185 

" But," said M. Dejean, after a moment of silence 
and hesitation, " before I quit the Direction of the Post- 
Office, 1 must request that you will give me your signa- 
ture, and that some document may remain in the Ar- 
chives." 

" Willingly," replied Etienne, seating himself in the 
arm-chair of M. Dejean. 

And he wrote his name at the bottom of a few lines, 
containing the dismissal of M. Dejean, and his own ap- 
pointment. 

'' I have made a fault in grammar, I see, in reading 
over the few hurried lines, rather a grave fault for a 
literary man ; but," he added, smiling, " one may be 
excused writing bad French, when one has just been 
fighting like a good Frenchman." 

" Now, Monsieur," said the Ex-Director, before re- 
tiring, " I have a request to make ; one of my relations, 
an elderly lady, is alone in the neighbouring apartment. 
May I hope — " 

" Sir," said Etienne, rising, and speaking in the tone 
of the most exquisite politeness, " Madame your rela- 
tion, is under my saiivegarde, I answer for her safety, 
and that of all in the Hotel, with my head." 

M. Dejean made a low bow, by v/ay of thanks, and 
retired from his cabinet. 

Upon the order of the new Director, all the superior 
clerks in the office were summoned before him. 

" Gentlemen," said Etienne Arago, " every one of 
the mails must start this evening." 

The employees looked at one another with an air of 
perfect stupefaction. 

" But, sir — the mails would start this evening. But 
M. Dejean announced himself in the Chamber, that no 
letters would go." 

" That was said during the existence of the Monar- 
chy, and we are now under the Republican regime.'^ 

" But there are more than two hundred barricades 



186 * PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 

between them, and each barrier — Monsieur, what you 
wish is impossible."' 

" We have proved to-day that nothing is impossible,*' 
said Etienne Arago warmly. " The three days of Feb- 
ruary have changed affairs. If to-morrow, at the accus- 
tomed hour, newspapers, letters, and despatches do not 
arrive in the departments, there will be oceans of blood- 
shed all over France, and the responsibility of this blood 
would rest on my head. Every mail must then go to- 
night. The packages must be carried on men's backs 
over the barricades to the barriers, and if it be necessary, 
I will myself carry the first packet." 

And taking up a pen, he wrote to the Provisional 
Government, without being quite sure that this govern- 
ment had been recognized and accepted or not. 

" Citoyens Gouvernants, the service of the Post-Office 
will take place this evening as usual." 

At seven o'clock, all ihe maUes-vostes were dashing 
aloncr the roads, with tricoloured flags waving at their 
summits, and bearing the despatches which were to an- 
nounce to all France the glorious victory of the people^ 
and the Constitution of a Republican Government. 

I inquired, as I went along, of several armed men, 
where they were hurrying to 1 " To our sections," was 
the invariable ansv»'er, a word full of meaning, as show- 
ing to what an extent the organization of the people had 
been carried, a fact which every body knew, except 
Louis Philippe and the secret police. If that body did 
know any thing, they knew too much, and took care not 
to denounce a conspiracy they were aware was too pow- 
erful to be resisted, which may be readily understood, 
when I say that the whole collection of the line were 
affiliated to secret societies. 

Arriving across numerous barricades at the Boule- 
vards, I found, fighting not having been over two hours, 
large quantities of promenaders of the middle classes. 
Ladies and gentlemen, extremely well dressed, were 



PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 187 

moving up and down, and the difference of this day, 
from ordinary ones, was remarkable only from these 
things. The shops were closed, the barricades pre- 
vented all movement of vehicles, and armed men were 
scattered about among the walkers in all directions. A 
few wine shops were opened, but though immense 
crowds of armed men were hanging about, no one enter- 
ed to take any refreshment without paying for it. 

From the Boulevards I went round by the Madeleine 
to the Placode la Concorde. Every where I found pub- 
lic order being organized. As 1 passed the Madeleine, I 
saw that the post was being burnt to the ground. Else- 
where, however, the posts were occupied by the National 
Guard and the people. In fact, the masses filled every 
place, streets, corps -de-gardes, palaces, every thing ! 
A magnificently displayed effigy of the British Royal 
Arms, which the owner had not had the good sense to re- 
move, was destroyed in the Rue de Paix, but from enmity 
to Royalty, not to England. No demonstration of any 
kind took place at the Hotel of the British Embassy. 
The Place de la Concorde, or rather de la Revolution, 
presented a dismal aspect. It was quite bare of troops 
and people, but the fountains had ceased to play, blood 
stained the pavement, the corps-de-garde in the corner 
was burning ; all was still, but still desolation. I turned 
back to where the victorious people gave life to the 
scene. 

Meanwhile the Duchess of Orleans, the most cour- 
ageous of her family, had taken refuge in the Hotel des 
Invalides. She was accompanied by General Gourgaud, 
and had with her her eldest son, the Count of Paris. 
The Due de Chartres had remained in the charge of a 
Deputy. The Duchess, who had still hopes, and who 
even fancied that the Provisional Government might come 
to her, wished to remain at the H^otel des Invalides, and 
expressed this desire to the Marshal who commanded. 
This latter, however, gave her distinctly to understand 



188 PERSONAL NARRATIVE, 

the nature of the Revolution, told her that there was no 
security for her in France ; that a terrible reaction was 
more than probable, and ordered her to seek safety by 
flight. 

The Duchess of Orleans, with that clearness of in- 
tellect which made her long foresee the events which 
snatched a throne from her son, now saw that all was 
lost. She thanked Marshal Oudinot, and at six o'clock 
left the Hotel de Ville. The Dues de Nemours and 
Montpensier, dressed in the uniform of the National 
Guard, mounted a carriage with her. 

That evening they were all scattered fugitives. 



PfiOCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC. 189 



CHAPTER XIV, 

THE PROCLAMATION OF TPIE REPUBLIC, 

The two rival Provisional Governments have met, 
and are closeted in the Hotel de Ville, that of the Re- 
forme and that of the Chamber of Deputies. No doubt 
but, in the eyes of the people, the former is the most 
popular, because with, and of, the masses. But if there 
be discussion, there will be emeutes again this night in 
the streets of Paris, and solem.n is the responsibility 
which will hang on those who shall set class against 
class, where all are arm.ed or arming. Already two 
parties are seen, one waving the tricolour, the other the 
red or bloody flag, v/hich streams over the Tuileries, 
Hotel de Ville, Column of Vendome, &c. 

Fifty thousand armed men are round the Hotel de 
Ville, they have invaded the passages, they have cannon 
pointed against its gates ; they have flags waving, drums 
beating- and these fifty thousand throats send up one 
voice of warning and command to those who deliberate 
within. But one cry is heard from those thousands and 
thousands, while all the faces, begrimed with smoke, 
dirt, and gunpowder, red with heat or pale vv'ith hunger, 
are turned to the Pharos which is to guide them to liberty 
and happiness, peace and prosperity ! 

" Vive la Republique !" was the stunning cry. 
"No more Kings! no Bourbons! no branch cadets!" 
while a few vainly muttered '• Vive Henry V !" 

Presently, the impatience of the crc \"J grew pro- 

17 



190 THE PROCLAMATION 

digious. To them the sitting of the Provisional Gov- 
ernment seemed interminable. They thundered at the 
gates, they roared, for many suggested in the crowd, 
that, perhaps, they were making terms with the Re- 
gency. 

" Fas de Regence / No boy Kings I None of the 
' race maudite V ' Mort aux rois !' Vive la Repub- 
lique ! la Republique ! la Republique !" and then a 
thousand throats cried aloud : — 

Apotres pur de montagne 

Que tout citoyen soit soldat, 

II est temps d'entrer en campagne, 
Aux despotes livrons combats. 
Vive la republique ! Vive la republique ! 
Debouty peuple Fran^ais ! debout, peuple herol'que I 
Debout, peuple Francais ! Vive la republique ! 

And the terrific chorus, as shouted by ten thousand 
voices, more melodious to the ears of the true friends of 
the people and of liberty, than all the drawing-room rou- 
lades of ten thousand Jenny Linds, Albonis, and Grisis ; 
more sweet to the heart of the thinker than any music of 
Rosini or Haydn ; the doors of the Hotel de Ville flew open> 
and Louis Blanc came forth upon the steps. Never stood 
forth so small a man to perform so mighty an office ; but 
loudly was he greeted by the thousands who awaited the 
fiat of the Provisional Government, to disperse to their 
homes, or fly to arms against men who betrayed men. 

In another minute all doubt was at an end, for the 
Republic was proclaimed by Louis Blanc amid profound 
silence. 

No one can imagine the scene which followed. After 
a terrific shout, that shook the very welkin, the delighted 
masses began to dance from very joy ; they waved their 
arms, they embraced perfect strangers, they shook hands 
with one another, exclaiming, m an ecstasy of delight^ 
" La Republique I nous Favons la Republique V 



OF THE IlEPUBLIC. 191 

Now began one of the most astounding councils ever 
held by any government. For sixty hours the Provision- 
al Executive of the nation sat without abandonincr their 
post, now writing decrees, debating them, and sending 
them forth to the nation by the voice of the printing ma- 
chine ; now rushing out to do battle for their very exist- 
ence, as new columns upon columns of people thronged 
to demand new concessions. Several times the Govern- 
ment was on the eve of dissolution. One party demand- 
ed the red flag. The majority knew that this was to 
sanctify the triumph of anarchy. They resisted. The 
people threatened to rush in and destroy the Provisional 
Government. Lamartine, hastening out, stands on the 
stairs of the Hotel de Ville ; but the excited people brand- 
ishing arms, refuse to hear him. He persists, and his 
voice at length drowns the tumult. He is heard, and his 
effective eloquence bring:s the people at once back to 
their senses. 

They then return to their duties, and before night, 
the following proclamations were posted up in Paris, 
while rough proof copies are flying to every part of the 
country through the post. Though they have appeared 
largely in the press, it is impossible to avoid giving here 
these first acts of the Government of the Revolution. 



PROCLAMATION OF THE PROVISIONAL GOVERN- 
MENT. ' 

'^ To THE French People. 

•" A retrograde and oligarchical Government has been 
overthrown by the heroism of the people of Paris. This 
Government has fled, leaving behind it a track of blood 
which forbids its ever retracing its steps. The blood of 
the people has been shed, as it was in July : but this time 



192 THE PROCLABIATION 

that generous blood shall not be shed in vain. It has won 
a national and popular Government in accord with the 
rights, the progress, and the will of this great and noble 
people. A Provisional Government, arising from the ur- 
gent acclamations of the voices of the people and the 
Deputies from the departments in the sitting of Februrary 
24, is momentarily invested with the charge of organiz- 
ing and securing the national victory. 

" It is composed of Messrs. Dupont (de I'Eure), La- 
martine, Cremieux, Arago (of the Institnte), Ledru-Rol- 
iin, Gamier Pages, and Marie. 

" The Government has for its secretaries Messrs, 
Armand-Marrast, Ferdinand Flocon, Louis Blanc, and 
Albert. 

" The citizens have not hesitated an instant .to accept 
the patriotic mission which was imposed by the urgency 
of the case. 

" When blood has flowed, when the capital of France 
is in flames, the mission of the Provisional Government is 
public safety. All France will listen to it, and lend it a 
patriotic concurrence. Under the popular Government 
which the Provisional Government proclaims, every citi- 
zen is a maojistrate. 

'•' Frenchmen ! give to the v/orld the example which 
Paris has given to France ! Prepare yourselves, by or- 
der and by confidence in one another, for those strong 
institutions which you are called upon to form ! 

" The Provisional Government desires a Republic, 
but subject to the ratification of the French people, who 
shall be immediately consulted. 

'' Unity of the nation ! formed henceforth of the 
classes of which the nation is composed ; the govern- 
ment of the nation by itself; liberty, equality, and fra- 
ternity for principles ; the people for motto, and the 
password of order ! — Such is the democratic Government 
which France owes to herself, and which shall have all 
our efforts for its establishment. 



OF THE REPUBLIC. 193 

The members of the Provisional Government, 
" DupoNT (de I'Eure), " Garnier Pages, 
^' Lamartine, " Marie, 

^' CrEMIEUX, *' ARAGO5 

'' Ledru-Rollin, 

^' Armanb-Marrast, ) cf X • 
,, T r> r secretaries. 

^' Louis Blanc, \ 



IK THE NAME OF THE FRENCH PEOPLEo 

^' The Provisional Government decrees : — - 

^' M. Dupont (de TEure) is named provisional Presi- 
dent of the Council without portfolio. 

" M. de Lamartine, provisional Minister of Foreign 
Affairs. 

" M, Cremieux, provisional Minister of Justice. 

" M. Ledru-Rollin, provisional Minister of the Inte- 
rior. 

" M. Michel Goudchaux, provisional Minister of 
Marine. 

" General Bedeaii, provisional Minister of War. 

^' M. Carnot, provisional Minister of Public Instruc- 
tion (Public Worship will form a division of this Min- 
istry). 

" M. Bethmont, provisional Minister of Commerce. 

^' M. Marie, provisional Minister of Public Works. 

°' General Cavaignac, Governor-General of Algeria. 

" The Municipal Guard is dissolved. 

" M. Garnier Pages is named Mayor of Paris. 

^' MM. Guinart and Recurt are appointed Deputies 
eo the Mayor of Paris. 

'• M. Flotard is named Secretary- General- 

" All the other mayors of Paris, as also the deputy- 
mayors, are maintained as mayors and deputy-mayors of 
arrondissements- 

" The prefecture of police is placed under the de- 
pendence of the Mayor of Paris. 

17* 



194 THE PROCLAMATION 

" The maintenance of the security of the city of 
Paris is confided to the patriotism of the National Guard, 
under the chief command given to Colonel de Courtais. 

" The troops of the first military division will unite 
with the National Guard, 

"A. Cremieux, " Dupont (de TEure), 

" LabiartinEj " Ledru-RolliNj 

" Marie, " Arago^ 

" Garnier Pages, 

Members of the Provisional Government. 



TO THE citizens OF PARIS. 

'• A great revolution has been accomplished. In two 
days public opinion has pronounced itself with an energy 
and unanimity which, we do not hesitate to say it, has 
been without precedent in our history. 

" Eio;hty thousand National Guards are under their 
colours, and more than one hundred thousand citizens 
have taken up arms I 

" You provide for the wants of liberty ; — you must 
also think of the wants of order ! 

" Organize yourselves ; form patrols ; mingle among 
the National Guard ; keep open the communication be- 
tween the different points of the capital. Until the pub- 
lic powers are re-constituted on their natural basis^ and 
until the men who are about to charge themselves with 
the conduct of your affairs, have commenced fulfilling 
their duties toward you, it is you who are the guards of 
Paris I Paris has confidence in your patriotism and de- 
votion I 

" Above all things, no divisions. 
" Signed, the Provisional Government, — 
" Arago, " Marrast, 

" Dupont (de I'Eure), " Louis Blanc, 
" Lamartine, " Ferdinand FlocoNj 

^' Ledru-RolliNj " Albert (Artisan), 

" Marie. 



OF THE KEPUBI.IC. 195 

" THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT TO THE NATIONAL 

GUARD. 

" Citizens ! — Your attitude in these late and glorious 
days has been such as was to be expected from men long 
accustomed to struggles for liberty. Thanks to your 
fraternal union with the people and the schools, the Re- 
volution is accomplished. The country will be grateful 
to you for it. At the present hour, all the citizens form 
part of the National Guard ; and all are bound to co- 
operate actively with the Provisional Government, for 
the regular triumph of public liberties. The Provisional 
Government reckons on your zeal and your devotedness 
to second its efforts in the difficult mission which the 
people have conferred upon it. 

" The members of the Provisional Government. 
" DupoNT (de I'Eure) " Cremieux, 
'' E. Arago, " Ledru Rollin, 

" Marie, ""Garnier Pages, 

" Lamartine, 

" Louis Blanc, " Flocon, ? g „ 

" Armand-Marrast, '' Albert, ) 

'' In the name of the French people, 
" It is interdicted to the members of the ex-Chamber 
of Peers to meet. 

" Dupont (de I'Eure), " Cremieux, 

" Lamartine, " Marie, 

" Ledru-Rollin, " Arago. 

" Paris, Feb. 24." 

" The French Republic. 

" Liberty ! Equality ! and Fraternity ! 

" Proclamation of the Provisional Government. 

" In the name of the French People. 
" Citizens ! — 

" Royalty, under whatever form it assumes, is abol- 
ished. 



196 THE PROCLAMATION 

" No more legitimacy — no more Bonapartism — no 
regency. 

" The Provisional Government has taken all the ne- 
cessary measures to render impossible the return of the 
ancient dynasty, or the advent of a new one. 

" The Republic is proclaimed. 

" The people are united. 

" All the forts in the vicinity of the capital are ours. 

" The brave garrison of Vincennes is a garrison of 
brothers. 

" Let us preserve with respect this old Republican 
flag, whose three colours have gone the round of the 
world with our fathers ! Let us show that this symbol 
of equality, liberty, and fraternity is, at the same time, 
the emblem of order — of order the most real and dura- 
ble, since justice is its basis, and the people its instru- 
ment ! The people have already comprehended that the 
supply of Paris calls for a freer traffic in the streets, 
and the hands which created the barricades have, in sev- 
eral places, made openings large enough to admit the 
free passage of carriages laden with provisions. 

" Let this example be followed every where. Let 
Paris resume its usual aspect ; commerce its activity and 
confidence. Let the people watch, at the same time, 
over the maintenance of their rights, and continue to 
assure, as they have always done, the tranquillity and 
security of the public. 

" DtjpoNT (de I'Eure), " A. Cremieqx, 

'' Labiartine, " Louis Blanc, 

" Garnier Pages, " Armand Marrast, 

'' AragOj " Flocon, 

" Marie, " Albert (Operative)." 

" Ledru-Rollin, 



OF THE REPUBLIC. 197 

"ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS." 

" The French Republic. 

" Liberty ! Equality ! Fraternity ! 

" The Provisional Government, convinced that great- 
ness of mind is the supreme policy, and that each revo- 
lution effected by the French people owes to the world 
the consecration of an additional philosophical truth — 

" Whereas there is not a more sublime principle than 
the inviolability of human life — 

" Whereas in those memorable days the Provisional 
Government has ascertained with pride that not a cry 
of vengeance or death has escaped the mouth of the 
people—^ 

" Declares that, in its opinion, the penalty of death is 
abolished for political offences, and that it will submit 
that wish to the definite ratification of the National As- 
sembly. 

" The Provisional Government is so firmly convinced 
of the truth which it proclaims in the name of the French 
people, that if the guilty men who have shed the blood of 
France were in the hands of the people, their degrada- 
tion would, in its eyes, be a more exemplary chastise- 
ment than their execution." 

Proclamation to the Army. 

" Generals, Officers, and Soldiers ! — The Govern- 
ment, by its attempts against liberty, and the people of 
Paris by their victory, have led to the downfall of the 
Government to which you swore allegiance. A fatal 
collision has deluged the capital with blood. The blood 
shed by civil war is that which is most repugnant to 
France. The people forget all while shaking hands with 
their brethren who carry the sword of France. A Pro- 
visional Government has been formed, founded upon the 
imperious necessity of preserving the capital, establish- 



198 THE PROCLAMATION 

ing order, and of preparing for France popular institu- 
tions analogous to those under which the French Republic 
so greatly ennobled France and its army. We do not 
doubt that you will salute this flag of the country, re- 
placed in the hands of the same power which first shel- 
tered it. 

" You will feel that the new and strong popular in- 
stitutions which are about to emanate from the National 
Assembly, will open to the army a career of devotedness 
and service which the national freedom will appreciate 
and recompense better than kings. The unity of the 
army and of the people, for a moment impaired, must be 
re-established. Swear love to the people, among whom 
are your fathers and brothers ! Swear fidelity to these 
new institutions, and every thing will be forgotten, save 
your courage and discipline. Liberty will ask no other 
services from you than those before which you will have 
to rejoice and glorify yourselves before its enemies. 

^' The members of the Provisional Government. 

" Garnier Pages, 
"Lamartine." 



" The French Republic. 
" Liberty ! Equality ! Fraternity ! 

Paris, Feb. 26, 1848. 

^^ The Minister of Justice, Member of the Provisional 

Governm.ent of the Republic, to M. Faustin Helie, 

Director of Criminal Affairs. 

^- Despatch immediately to the Attorney-Generals, the 
order to suspend all capital executions which were to 
have taken place in virtue of Sovereign decrees and the 
definite order which authorized those executions. 

" You will present to me the documents relative 
thereto, and annex a new report to the reports already 
made by your predecessor. If, after examining them, I 
can commute the penalty, I will propose the modification 



OF THE REPUBLIC. 199 

to the Provisional Government. As respects tlie con- 
victs in whose case no change appears possible, I will 
suspend all decision until the day when the National As- 
sembly shall have pronounced on the question relative to 
the penalty of death. Cremieux.'" 

All night, vast crowds remained at the Hotel de 
Ville, in a hall of which was gradually deposited all the 
dead bodies which could be collected. By degrees order 
was restored. Sentries were posted at every issue. The 
cannon were placed in the best possible position for de- 
fence, and the Republican Government deliberated under 
the guardianship and a little under the pressure from 
without. 

Meanwhile, throughout Paris the news spread like 
lightning that the Republic was proclaimed. In all 
quarters save one, nothing but rejoicing was felt, 

I retUTned to my residence situated in the very centre 
of the 1st arrondissement and among the Orleanists. As 
it had been all day, I found the jporie cochere shut, and 
within, in the court-yard assembled, all the male and fe- 
male inhabitants of a house which contained some thirty 
families, as is the case every where in Paris. 

" Eh bien ?" they cried, for scarce one had stirred 
out all day, while they stared at my torn clothes, face 
covered with blood and gunpowder, and other signs of 
the hot quarters I had been in. 

" Vive la Republique !" cried I with a laugh. 

" Comment !" thev cried in chorus. 

"Yes, Louis Philippe has fled, and here is the gov- 
ernment of France." 

They begged me to read it out. I read, and I here 
repeat the list as I had it from the " Reforme." 

"Albert, an operative." 

" Mon dieu ! it is awful !" cried a Countess. 

" Arago." 

" An astronomer," said another. 



200 THE PROCLAMATION 

" Dupont de I'Eure." 

" An old fool !" 

" Lamartine." 

^' A poet, ihe panegyrist of Robespierre !" 

" Louis Blanc." 

" A communist." 

'' Ferdinand Flocon." 

" A Jacobin." 

*' Marie." 

'' A deputy." 

" Marrast." 

" The National." 

" Ledru-Rollin." 

'- Un ecervele.^^ 

" But who is to be king ?" asked the husband of 
the Countess. 

" No one !" I replied almost indignantly, " the Re- 
public is proclaimed." 

" La Republique !" said a lugubrious chorus of 
counts, marquises, servants, couturieres and English. 

" Oh, Madame !" said one addressing the landlady, 
" we shall all be assassinated." 

" Madame !" cried another, '•' 7101^5 sommes en pJeine 
republique. Hide your silver spoons. Nous serons 
pilles r 

And away the terrified group scattered to conceal 
money, jewels, valuables, and, in many instances, them- 
selves. My landlady, despite all I could say, believed 
the assertion of the old count who spoke of hiding her 
spoons, and actually sent up into every apartment to get 
back ihe plate with which she furnished her lodgers. 

Such was the general state of feeling I am assured 
in all the fashionable and rich quarters of Paris. The 
English were terrified beyond measure. I can say this 
in many instances from personal knowledge ; but the 
rush for passports will prove the assertion to be correct. 

About dark, however, the houses began to be illumi- 



OF THE REPUBLIC. 201 

nated. In every window candles, lamps and torches 
were placed, while bands of armed people paraded the 
streets shouting " Vive la Republique !" and singing the 
*' Marseillaise.'' Very great crowds moved about un- 
til ten o'clock, when the streets began to thin. 

Never were so many rumours set afloat in a town as 
upon this evening. Paris was surrounded by soldiers — 
Marshal Bugeaud and the King were encamped under 
the walls — the forts were about to bombard us — the peo- 
ple were about to burn, destroy and pillage. A few 
mischievous lads, it is true, came knocking along the 
streets at the shutters, and outside Paris ruffians, forgats, 
galley-slaves whose time was up, pillaged, burned and 
destroyed, while persons interested in waggon companies 
pushed the ignorant peasantry to break up the railways; 
but here, in Paris, where reigned none save the shop- 
keepers and operatives, all was orderly, still, quiet, safe. 

Numerous patrols of National Guard and workmen 
paraded every street, tired as they were, while not a 
barricade was abandoned ; behind them slept their faith- 
ful guardians, while sentries, relieved every two hours, 
mounted true and faithful guard. Three times through- 
out the great city was the watchword changed that night. 
The Nation Francaise and Liberty, the choice of the 
people themselves. There were no thieves abroad that 
night, for quick justice is done by the people. 

In the Rue de Richelieu, two men, caught in the act 
of robbing, are shot and a great placard placed over their 
bodies exposed to the the passers-by — Voleurs. 

A lady walking along the streets is robbed of a valu- 
able jewel, by an ill-looking woman of a disorderly 
character. Two artisans passing by, members of the 
sovereign power, in whose hands is all law and justice, 
call her back, make her restore the valuable, and then 
shoot her ! 

Stern, tremendous measures these ; but in such a 
time necessary. But for such awful examples, all the 

18 



202 THE PROCLAMATION 

thieves, convicts, all the hordes of ruffians who hide in 
the lanes, alleys, and backslums of the metropolis of 
France would have been out at their unholy and wretch- 
ed work, doing good service to the cause of despotism. 
by frightening the friends of liberty, and that vast mass 
who have no other politics but their pockets. 

Miserable was this night to many. The timid, the 
rich, the families of men peculiarly obnoxious to public 
opinion were in the utmost terror and alarm. Old men 
and women whispered in chimney corners tales about the 
reign of terror, of Marat, Danton, Desmouslins, and the 
terrible Robespierre, to mention whom was forbidden in 
that Assembly known as the French House of Peers. 
Those who had seen these days shook as if with palsy, 
while the young listened half convinced. Many spent 
the still hours of the night in putting away their money 
in remote corners, where popular ingenuity might not 
find it,, while others shaved their whiskers, and many a 
man vowed to let heard and moustachios grow, and be 
as fei'ocious as possible. 

For myself, I put my head out the window, to listen 
to the drums beating, to the guns firing, and the patrols 
passing, and when I had satisfied myself, went to rest, 
and slept for the first time since I was a child, within the 
confines of an European Republic, and confess, I found 
no sensible difference, save that the fatigue of the Revo- 
lution made my slumbers remarkably heavy. 

My waking made me find Paris in a state which 
perfectly justified the following words of La Reforme ! 
" When we spoke of a Republic, some days ago, we 
were told by very friendly persons : ' You are mad I 
The middle classes fear this terrible solution. They are 
afraid of robbery, of pillage, of burning, of all those 
scourges, which, during fifty years, have smoked under 
the head of aristocracies, to be lit up at the given word 
of the felon !' We now ask these honest citizens, if or- 
der was better kept under the Monarchy, if properties 



OF THE REPUBLIC. 203 

were more safe, if the ateliers of luxurious trades were 
better respected 1 We will simply add, that the people, 
who have kept this town in calmness and security, which 
twenty consuls and their cohorts could not rule, this 
admirable and proud people are without bread !" 



204 THE 25TH OF FEBRUARY. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE 2oTH OF FEBRrARY. 

'Everywhere on the v/alls appear startling words, 
'• RepuhUque Francaise,'' words which, five days before, 
M'ould have sent a printer to gaol. In the streets, are 
bodies of men armed with guns, pikes, sticks, vr ho stop 
at bakers' shops, and are supplied V\'ith bread, vrhich the 
nation for whom thev have foucrht pavs for. To draw 
them, however, to a focus, and to prevent their remain- 
ing scattered about the town in disorderly bodies, as well 
as to ensure a firm Republican body-^uard for the 
Provisional Government, the Garde Nationale mobile is^ 
at once organized, and twenty-four thousand of the more 
needy combatants are thus provided for at the rate of 
fifteen-pence a day. 

The thousands and tens of thousands who fought, and 
then returned to their work — to their homes — to their 
garrets, and of whom nothing more was heard, was pro- 
digious. Aristocrats, bankers, counts, dukes, Jews, 
Gentiles, Poles, artisans, all classes had fought, or tried 
to fight. Their number was vast. And now, what 
chance has despotism or treachery, or royalty, where two 
hundred thousand National Guards are distributed over 
the town, armed, disciplined, well supplied with ammuni- 
tion, all of whom will turn out at the first call ? 

But great emotion is felt about Yincennes. This 
immense and powerful fortress is garrisoned by a tre- 
mendous force, with artillery, ammunition in waggon- 
loads, and provisions for months. The Due de Mont- 



THE 25TH OF FEBRUARY. 205 

pensier is wrongly said to command, wliile he is flying 
in hot haste for safety, never having drawn one sword 
for the patrimony of his family. 

Presently, however, a vast column with artillery is 
on the way to Vincennes, headed by students of the 
Polytechnic School. Several of these hurry forward 
on horseback, and holding a parley with the garrison, 
prevent a collision. Before the immense popular army 
is up, the gates are opened, and the soldiers are ready to 
fraternize with the people, part of whom, with the Poly- 
technics, share the garrison with the troops. 

But at the Hotel de Ville all is not roses for the new 
Government. The scenes of the night are again renew- 
ed, and we find the following recorded in the Presse : — 

Five times during the day, M. de Lamartine ad- 
dressed the people assembled under the windows of the 
Hotel de Ville : — 

"It is thus you are led from calumny to calumny 
against the men who have devoted themselves, head, 
heart, and breast, to give you a real Republic — the Re- 
public of all classes, all interests, and all the legitimate 
rights of the people. Yesterday you asked us to usurp, 
in the name of the people of Paris, the rights of thirty- 
live millions of men, to vote them an absolute Republic, 
instead of a Republic invested with the strength of their 
consent ; that is to say, to make of that Republic, im- 
posed and not consented, the will of a part of the people, 
instead of the will of the whole nation. To-day you de- 
mand from us the red flag instead of the tri-coloured 
one. Citizens ! for my part, I will never adopt the red 
flag; and I will explain in a word why I will oppose it 
with all the strength of my patriotism. It is, citizens, 
because the tri-coloured flag has made the tour of the 
world, under the Republic and the Empire, with our 
liberties and our glories, and that the red flag has only 
made the tour of the Champ de Mars, trailed through 
torrents of the blood of the people !" 

18* 



206 THE 25TH OF FEBRUARY. 

At this part of the speech of M. de Lamartine, in 
that astonishing sitting of sixty hours, in the midst of 
an irritated crowd, every one was suddenly affected by 
his words ; hands were clapped, and tears shed, and 
they finished by embracing him, shaking his hands, and 
bearing him in triumph. In a moment after, fresh 
masses of people arrived, armed with sabres and bayo- 
nets. They knocked at the doors ; they filled the salles. 
The cry vras, that all v.-as lost ; that the people were 
about to fire on, or stifle the members of the Provisional 
Government. M. de Lamartine was called for. He 
was supplicated to go once more, for the last time, to ad- 
dress the people. He was raised on a step of the stair- 
case ; the crowd remained for half-an-hour without con- 
senting to listen to him, vociferating, brandishing arms 
of all kinds over his head. M. de Lamartine folded his 
arms, re-commenced his address, and finished by soften- 
ing, appeasing, and caressing the intelligent and sensible 
people, and determining them either to withdraw, or to 
become themselves the safeguard of the Provisional 
Government. 

Still, from all quarters, many-tongued rumour brings 
news of an exciting character. All this Friday we are 
startled with the cries of " Death of Louis Philippe!" 
" Arrest of Guizot !" " Revolution in England !" '•' Re- 
volution in Belgium !'' &;c. But the night having really 
passed without any very shocking event in Paris, though 
sad havoc was done by gangs of malefactors, the shops 
begin to open, ladies begin to move about, the business 
absolutely necessary to existence is renewed, and men 
and women look a little less pale and care-worn. 

But the Government proceeds : decree upon decree 

comes forth. All political prisoners are released, small 

pledges are returned to the owners, the Tuileries is 

turned into the Invalides du Travail, all functionaries 

re released from their oaths to the monarchy, care is 

ken to keep the town amply supplied with provisions. 



THE 25TH OF FEBRUARV. 207 

labour is guaranteed, or rather promised to all citizens, 
the children of those killed during the three days are 
adopted by the Republic, the Municipal Guard is dis- 
solved, the million of the Civil List just due is devoted 
to the workinfT classes — but these decrees belono- to sub- 
sequent history. 

During the day, many alarmist rumours prevailed. 
A regular system of pillage for the night was being or- 
ganized ; the Ex-Palais Royal v/as on fire ; the aristo- 
crats had organized a rising in favour of Henry V. All 
this, however, was moonshine ; and night came, with its 
illuminations, its patrols, its theatres, its thronged cafes 
and restaurateurs, its promenaders, and, no doubt, its 
fears. 

One feature of this day was the newspapers : most of 
them were on single sheets, printed on only one side. 
By evening, however, new journals had started into ex- 
istence, and were crying in every corner of Paris. 

Thousands of English, meanwhile, were making 
preparations to fly. The Marquis of Normanby's Hotel 
was thronged by one mass of British subjects seeking 
passports. But there was no means of getting them 
countersigned by the police. I v/ent up for the purpose 
of observing the general tone. Most v/ere saying, with 
a positiveness that was quite amazing : " The British 
Government can never recoo-nize that batch of canaille .'" 
and other such recondite and cogent observations. 

But my narrative of the three days is over. Imper- 
fect as it is, it is finished. I have now to complete it by 
a sketch of those men who brought about the revolution, 
and who hitherto have benefited by it, and been carried 
to power. This, with a few words, will conclude my 
volume. 

I may as well here remark, that I do not pretend to 
give a complete and perfect history of the Revolution. 
This is not to be done at present, only fifteen days after 
the events of the week which thus changed the face of 



208 THE 25TH OF FEBRUARY. 

Europe. I have, however, as far as I have been able, 
recorded what I saw, heard, and read. The secret 
history of the Revolution remains to be written. It can- 
not be here, in the midst of the daily turmoil of events, 
and v/ith the firinoj yet fresh in our ears, and the word 
'' French Republic/' scarce tutored to be pronounced by 
our iips. 



LOUIS PHILIPPE. 209 



CHAPTER XVI. 

LOUIS PHILIPPE — -GUIZOT MOLE— THIERS BARROT. 

It would be idla here to record the history of Louis 
Philippe, or, indeed, to trace the complete tale of any one 
man's existence who has played a part in the recent 
Revolution. But still it is impossible not to give some 
account of the persons who, in various v/ays, brought 
about the events which have startled the whole civilized 
world. 

Louis Philippe is a man who has, I conceive, been 
prodigiously overrated. Belonging to any other than a 
royal family, 1 imagine he would have made very little 
figure in the world, except, perhaps, as a clever banker, 
merchant, or some other position in which shrewdness 
and prudence in money matters are requisite. He was 
always notorious for playing that part which suited best 
his own private interests, or at all events was supposed 
to do so. 

We find him, in the early revolution, acting the part 
of a commissary of the Jacobin Club, with the honnet 
rouge upon his head, and outvying all who spoke in his 
democratic tendencies ; and in 1839 we saw him again, 
hat in hand, and his umbrella under his arm, courting 
the popular voice to snatch the crown, yet v/arm, from 
the head of his relatives. In both instances, we find him 
guilty of hypocrisy. In 1792 he was not any more a 
republican than in 1830, when he accepted the Crown 
with affected regret. Both were but means to the great 



210 LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

end of satisfying his ambition, his love of power, wealth, 
and adulation : — a vice never more practised than at the 
court of Louis Philippe. 

That Louis Philippe conspired against the Bourbons. 
I am quite convinced, because 1 know that in IS 60 the 
whole scenes of the drama which preceded his acceptance 
of the throne, were prepared beforehand. Louis Phil- 
ippe and his mass of adherents, many purchased, many 
believincr him actuated by a sincere desire to unite 
monarchy with democratic institutions, did not cause the 
revolution of 1S30, for no set of men can rouse a nation 
to arms. A revolution is the spontaneous rush of the 
populace to fight against oppression. But like the re- 
publicans in lS-i3, he was ready to avail himself of the 
national movement, and even, as did the leaders of the 
democrats in February, guided and led by agents the 
movement of the people. Still, the crimes of which he 
is accused have never been proved. No man knows 
what secrets history may be big with, but I feel satisfied, 
that however ambitious, how^ever greedy of power the 
late monarch of France has alwaj's been, the accusa- 
tions which for thirty years have been current in Europe, 
are without foundation. Tyrant, Louis Philippe was, 
but of the acts now publicly charged against him I, for 
one, conceive him incapable.* 

* As an instance of the way Louis Philippe was spoken of in 
France four days after his departure, I subjoin the words of Alexis 
Dumesni!, a writer whose work has been greeted with applause, par- 
ticularly by the Carlists, the .party which chiefly seeks to profit by 
these calumnies. I give in French, for obvious reasons, a passage of 
his work. " Deux grands attentats, egalement precedes de violences 
et de cruautes, dominent tons les autres complots de cette faction, 
qui depais si long-temps aspirait au pouvoir. C"est d'abord le meur- 
tre du due de Berry, dernier acte de I'epouvantable tragedie des pi- 
que urs ; puis c'est, k queiques annees de la, cette malheureuse revo- 
lution de Juillet, couronnant Toeuvre homicide des incendiaires de 
Normandie. Or, on distingue aisement h travers un leger nuage le 
parricide auteur de tant de crimes et de forfaits, celui qui en a tenu 



LOUIS PHILIPPE. 211 

But enough remains to be brought against Louis 
Philippe. This monarch will go down to posterity as a 

dans sa main tons les fils et fait jouer tons les ressorts. Je le vois 
marcher d'un pas lent mais toujours egal h I'accomplissement de ses 
projets ; je le reconnais aux pieges dont il environne la cdfSr, au 
poignard dont il arme le bras des assassins, au propre choix de ses 
victimes, toutes imniolees a I'ambition d'une dynastie nouvelle. 

" C'est, il faut le dire, cette rare habilete de d'Orleans a preparer 
les crimes les plus atroces, qui fait que tout d'abord la France et I'Eu- 
rope I'accusent lui-meme ilu meurtre de Tinfortune due de Bourbon. 
Le bruit d'un suicide ne trompe personne, et I'on sent bien que le 
prince qui a pu monter sur le tione par tous les degres de I'infamie 
n'est pas homme h dedaigner le riche heritage que lui procure un 
crime de plus. 

" N'a-t-il pas d'ailleurs a sesordres toutes les ressources de!a cor- 
ruption] Manquera-t-il de zeles soutiens de son innocence? Man- 
quera-t-il de magistrats dociles, de juges complaisants pour att ster 
qu'un Conde, le dernier de sa race, vient par un lache suicide de 
mettre fin a ses jours ? Non sans doute. II connait trop bien la 
facilite de son siecle, et il a tout prevu,tout calcule, jusqu'd Tavilisse- 
nient de la justice. 

" Ce ne sont de tous cotes que trahisons et guet-apens, et la propre 
niece du monarque, la duchesse de Berry, tombe a son tour dans un 
de ces pieges affreux que tend secretement la main de son once, 
Mais il a trouve le moyen de se surpasser lui-meme ; c'est par la 
home, c'est par le deshormeur qu'il assassine cette fois sa victime. 
II fait entrer les ministres dans sa confidence, et avec un sourire 
moqueur il designe le miserable qui doit abuser des tendres senti- 
ments de la princesse, et laisser dans son sein le temoignage vivant 
d'une malheureuse faiblesse. Dansl'esprit de Louis Philippe, I'eclat 
d'un accouchement, combine avec la captivite de sa niece, ne pouvait 
manquer de servir la cause de I'usurpation en portant le dernier coup 
a la branche ainee, a cette famille royale sa bienfaitrice, dont il tenait 
son rang et sa fortune. Voil&. le but de lant de scandale, voila le 
secret de I'odieuse comedie qui s'est denouee au chateau de Blaye ; 
et Ton peut dire avec verite que jamais ambition de prince ne de- 
scendit a de pareilles turpitudes. 

" Le mensonge n'a-t-il pas continuellement ete depuisquinze ans 
I ame de sa politique ; et n'est-ce pas encore au nom de la cause 
sacree de I'humimite, au nom de la paix et de la prosperite publique 
qu'il s'efforce de nous imposer la plus lache des tyrannies ? Comme 
il mettait, sous la restauration, ses esperances dans les fautes et dans 
I'aveuglement de la cour, il ne cherche presentement qu'& tirer parti 



212 LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

tyrant, but without any of that glorious audacity which 
relieves the odium of Napoleon's crushing attacks on 
liberty. Louis Philippe sought to reign for himself or 
his family, not for France. But to secure himself firmly 
on his throne, it was necessary to have a large body of 
suppJh'ters, to keep France at peace, to have an outlet for 

de la sottise des factions et des temeraires entreprises d'une multitude 
furieuse. II traite la France comme nous I'avons vu traiter le faible 
et credule Charles X., que Ton renfermait hypocritement dans le 
double cercle des lois et de la Charte, et qu'on se flattait d'avoir 
reduit a I'impossible. C'est en usant des memes artifices de legality, 
de la meme fascination constitutionnelle, que Ton est p.rvenu k 
envelopper Paris de murailles et de forteresses, et de tous ces corps 
de garde creneles, savantes barricades d'une royaute factieuse •, etles 
meraes hommes qui renverserent le trone legitime sont encore ceux 
qui tiennent la premiere place dans la confiance de Louis-Philippe, 
et dont il met plus volontiers a protit la funeste experience. 

" Comme un chef de brigands qui se serait erapare du pouvoir, il 
n'a eu que I'embarras de travestir en fonctionnaires publics, en magis- 
trats et en ministres, sa band infame, devenue tout k coup I'arbitre 
de notre sort, la gardienne et I'interprete de I'honneur national. 
Tous portent aujourd'hui la livree de I'homme d'Etat, tous vantent 
leur zele et leur devouement, et certes iis ont raison, s'ils entendent 
par IcL ce que leur kme peut enfanter de crimes et de bassesses. 

" Et cependant je n'ai pas encore tout dit sur cette politique si 
chfere aux heros de I'usurpation. Non-seulement la France subit 
leur honteux pouvoir, mais elle est a la merci des plus vils faiseurs 
d'^lections et de tous les privilegies du scrutin, ci quelque degre que ce 
soit. La main avidement tendue vers I'urne constitutionnelle, Jls ne 
s'en approchent que pour nous assassiner de leurs votes, et nous en- 
lever ces millions opimes qu'ils courent ensuite partager aux Tuileries 
avee I'auguste monarque de leur choix. O honte ! 6 infamie ! que 
de fois, helas ! le petit-fils de Charles X., en tombant au pied de la 
croix, n'a-t-il pas d<i s'ecrier avec le Sauveur des hommes : * La maison 
de mon pere etait une maison de priere, ils en ont fait une caverne 
de brigands.' 

" Voila sans doute un eprouvantable regne. Mais ce qui le rend 
encore plus horrible, c'est que la nation elle-meme n'est pointe ex- 
empte de reproches. Ne savait-elle pas depuis longtemps ce que 
valait la maison d'Orleans ! Pouvions-nous done moins attendre de 
celui qui pendant quinze ans avait trame toutes les conspirations, 
ouvert la porte ci tous les complots !" 



LOUIS PHILIPPE. 213 

restless spirits, to form powerful alliances, and to fix 
himself in the very soil. We have seen him first doing 
his utmost to court the middle classes, by giving them 
wealth, credit, and prosperity ; then w^hen he thought 
himself secure, crushing them with taxation to carry out 
his favourite plans, fortifications, immense armies, &c. 
Having thus lost favour, he still further drains the na- 
tion's purse to purchase that support which he can no 
longer legitimately claim. We have seen him, after 
having wisely preserved peace during many years, en- 
tering upon an insensate war policy, increasing his army, 
his navy, and sinking, in useless fortifications, sums of a 
nature to leave behind the most lasting relics of his reign. 
We have seen him keeping Algiei's as the outpost for all 
the restless spirits that filled his army, but doing nothing 
to add to the greatness and power of France by means 
of what might have been a splendid colony. After a 
long peace and friendly intercourse with England, which 
rendered none but small armies necessary, and might 
have led to vastly diminished taxation, we find him risk- 
ing war, breaking up the entente cordiale, and entering, 
upon the skirts of despotism, into an alliance with north- 
ern powers, in the vain hope of securing to one of his 
sons a crown, on which no wise insurance office would 
grant a life policy under fifty per cent, annual premium. 
Ambitious without grandeur, loving wealth and ag- 
grandizement for its own sake, perpetually tortured by 
a desire to see his own family rich and powerful ; selfish, 
avaricious, without one atom of sympathy for the masses 
— by which fatal error will fall every crown in the uni- 
verse, if they be not warned — Louis Philippe fell without 
leaving behind him any but interested regrets. No man 
could put faith in his word. Of that chivalrous honour 
which has distinguished many a worse man, he had 
none. He could smooth, and flatter and deceive, and 
promise, with an air too often irresistible. He had none 
of that love of display and magnificence which, as one 

19 



214 LOUIS PHILIPPE. 

receiving a vast sum from the nation for no earthly use 
that has 5"et been discovered, was a duty. It was no- 
torious, that the vast revenues he received from the 
nation were not spent in those ways which would have 
given employment, vivified commerce, and kept in action 
large bodies of the artisans of his spjendid capital. His 
civil list, his state domains, his large over-cuttings in the 
national forests, brought in an income, which spent 
royally, would have spread around his palace a halo of 
magnificence that would have had its use, and which, 
when such incomes are taken from the profits of labour 
and capital, camiot be otherwise expended without crime. 
But either to corrupt, to buy support at home and abroad, 
or to hoard up in secret places, Louis Philippe took 
millions upon millions, but gave not back. With such 
incalculable resources he was alwavs in debt ; and many 
a tradesman will tell of the years they have waited for 
little accounts to be settled. -His meannesses are so 
notorious that I may be permitted to allude to them. 

That much may be traced to his education, I believe. 
It has been the habit to praise .the system under which 
he was brought up, but the notorious mistress of Philippe 
Egalite, no matter what her talents, could not have fitly 
brought up the children torn from an insulted and ill- 
treated mother. Son of one whose character history will 
hesitate to iudo;e, as not knowinsf whether he were greater 
fool or villain, the Voltairien education of the Duo de 
Chartres has much to answer for. There has been 
through life no guiding principle in this man, no faith in 
the holiness of Providence, no trust in man. 

Had he been a good king, Louis Philippe would have 
died on the throne. It cannot be denied that he made 
republicanism m France. With light taxation, with an 
ambition extending not beyond the limits of his country, 
without an annual decreasing loan and deficit, with a 
manifest desire to progress with the age, and gradually 
to extend the circle of reform, with a determination to 



LOUIS PHILIPPE. 215 

rule by ministers only who possessed the confidence and 
love of the middle classes and people, with a careful 
attention to the wants and desires of the masses, Louis 
Philippe would have reigned in the hearts of France, and 
republicanism would have waited half a century, and not 
received perhaps premature development. In a word, 
had Louis Philippe not broken every one of the solemn 
pledges made when he became King^ he would not have 
fallen. King of the Barricades, he turned to the system 
of legitimacy. He sought to rule by right and force, not 
love, and he fell. 

All this shows him to have been, after all, but a very 
mediocre man, very cunning ; but, like all cunning men, 
overreaching himself. 

With this hurried sketch, I pass to his principal 
agent, after quoting the following somewhat highly- 
colored passage from Dumesnil. 

" This man. Providence gave us for our punishment, 
as our devouring wound ; and not only has she allowed 
him to oppress France within, but to betray her without, 
by fatal alliances. It is true that, deceiving the foreign- 
ers, as he daily deceived the nation, they reproached him 
with all his perfidy ; and if they forgave him the abomi- 
nable practice by which he sought to overreach them, ' it 
was because he had taken a pledge to reduce France 
from her proper rank and power !' To sacrifice the state 
to the house of Orleans, and to increase the authority of 
his family in the same proportion with our miseries and 
humiliation, such was the policy of Louis Philippe ; and 
it is because England would not accept such odious tac- 
tics, that the monarch of the Barricades of July turned 
towards Austria, to conclude with her cabinet a new pact 
of treason. Dispbsing of us at his will, of our honour 
and his alliances, he used it as vile lucre, to pay the 
debts of his lionteiix dynasty. Doubtless we must be 
most guilty, for God to allow such a scourge ; but let us 
hope that Providence, in dashing him from the throne, 



216 GUIZOT. 

will destroy the evil with its cause ; let us hope that it 
will break our other chains, and bring back to virtue a 
people bowed down beneath a weight of iniquity." 

M. Guizot, the late Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 
who may be said, in some measure, to have been the 
second cause of the late French Revolution, seems 
doomed both to begin and end his life amidst political 
storms. On the 8th of April, 1794, three days after the 
sanguinary victory which Robespierre gained over Dan- 
ton, Camille Desmoulins, and the members of the "Co- 
mite de Clemence," and before the victory had its full 
effect, the father of the subject of the present notice, who 
was a distinguished advocate at Nimes, and descended 
from an honourable family, perished on the scaffold, his 
political opinions being supposed to be in opposition to 
those of the terrible triumvirate. The grief of his widow 
was increased by the fact of her being left alone to form 
the education of her two little children, the, eldest of 
whom was hardly seven years of age. Francois-Pierre 
Guizot was born on the 14th of October, 1787 ; and 
while yet a boy, his serious and meditative countenance 
already gave evidence of his precocious temperament. 
Born a Protestant, under laws which refused a legal 
union to his parents, to himself a name and the rights of 
a citizen, he saw the Revolution restore him all those 
privileges, although at the expense of his father's life. 

Soon after the melancholy catastrophe to which we 
have alluded, Madame Guizot left Nimes, and went to 
reside at Geneva, both for the purpose of being near her 
family and for the education of her children. The young 
Guizot v/as placed at the Gymnase, and pursued his 
studies with such avidity, that at the end of four years, 
he read Thucydides, Demosthenes, Cicero, Tacitus, 
Dante, Alfieri, Schiller, Goethe, Gibbon, and Shakspeare 
in the original. 

The last years which he spent at college were spe- 
cially dedicated to historical and philosophical studies. 



GUIZOT. ' 217 

which have since always had peculiar attractions for 
him. 

After achieving a brilliant success at college, M. 
Guizot left Geneva for Paris, in order to commence the 
study of law. Poor and proud, austere and ambitious, 
the young student here found himself thrown amidst 
a world of intrigues, of licentiousness, and frivolity ; 
however, his rigid and serious disposition was sufficient 
to protect him against the contagion of the most dan- 
gerous city in the world. 

A year after his arrival in Paris, he was received as 
tutor into the house of M. Stapfer, late Minister from 
Switzerland, where he was treated with the utmost hos- 
pitality, and where every opportunity was afforded him 
of continuing his studies. Here he met many of the 
cleverest men of the day, as also the wife who afterwards 
exercised over him such a happy influence. 

The romantic circumstance which led to M. Guizot's 
marriage is pretty generally known ; but, as a pleas- 
ing contrast to the events v/e have been narrating, I re- 
peat it. 

Mademoiselle Pauline de Meulan, born of a distin- 
guished family, but ruined by the Revolution, found in 
her talents sufficient resources to make them available. 
She became editor of the " Publiciste," which she con- 
tinued to write fof, until illness, caused by excess of 
labour, compelled her to interrupt her occupations. She 
found herself in a most critical position, when, one day 
she received an anonymous letter, begging her to keep 
her mind easy, and in which the writer offered to fulfil 
her duties during the time of her illness. 

The letter was accompanied by a well-written article, 
in which the style and manner so much resembled her 
own, that she at once assigned it as her own production. 
This was continued during the whole time of her indis- 
position. 

Both astonished and grateful at this proceeding, 

19* 



218 GUIZOT. 

Mademoiselle de Meulan related her adventure at the 
house of M. Suerd, forming all manner of conjectures, 
and but little thinking of tlie pale and serious young 
man whom she hardly knew, and who listened gravely 
to all that was said. After having been requested by 
means of the journal to make himself known, the author 
decided on going personally to receive his well-deserved 
thanks, and five years after, Mademoiselle de Meulan 
became Madame Guizot. During these five years the 
life of M. Guizot was filled with literary labours. In 
1809, he published his first work, the " Dictionnaire des 
Synonymes," of which the introduction, devoted to the 
philosophical appreciation of the French language, re- 
veals the precision and method which always distinguish 
M. Guizot. This publication was followed by " Les 
Vies des Poetes Francais," by a translation of Gibbon, 
enriched with historical notes of the greatest interest, 
and lastly, by the translation of a work of Relifus, called 
" L'Espagne en 1808." Although these works have 
been since followed by others from the pen of the same 
author, which have caused them in a manner to be for- 
gotten, still we may judge of his ability, when we say 
that they were executed by him before he reached the 
age of twenty-five. 

His talents were already considerably known, as in 
1812 M. de Fontanes attached him fo the University, in 
naming him Assistant Professor to the Chair of History 
in the Faculty of Letters. Soon after, he was appointed 
to the Chair of Modern History, which he filled with the 
utmost credit. 

The first part of the life of M. Guizot was strictly 
literary, and it was not until 1814 that he was chosen by 
the Abbe de Montesquieu, then Minister of the Interior, 
to fulfil the duties of his secretary. And this is the first 
step which he took in the career of politics. In this 
situation, although it appears of a secondary character, 
M. Guizot by his great talents exercised a considerable 



GUIZOT. 210 

influence over the measures of the liberal cause, con- 
jointly with M. Royer-Collard, in having prepared that 
severe law against the press which was presented to the 
Chambers in 1814 by M. de Montesquieu. On the other 
side, he was followed by the jealousy of the ultra-royal- 
ists, who were indignant to see a hourgeois, a professor 
and a protestant, take his place beside an abbe of the 
court. 

On the return of Napoleon from Elba, M. Guizot 
again undertook his duties as professor, and two months 
later, on the fall of the Emperor becoming evident, he 
was appointed by the constitutional royalists to proceed 
to Ghent to plead for the Charter before Louis XV [II, 
and to insist on the dismission of M. de Blacas, then con- 
sidered as chief of the party which supported the ancien 
regime. This mission had its effect, as in a month after 
Louis XVIII complied with the conditions proposed. In 
1815 M. Guizot occupied the place of Secretary to the 
Minister of Justice under M. de Barbe-Maubois. 

On the assassination of the Due de Berri the Decazes 
ministry fell, and from this epoch until the coming into 
power of Martinac in 1828, the political life of M. Gui- 
zot was a perpetual combat against the principles of the 
Villele Ministry. Although too young to be allowed to 
speak in the Chamber, M. Guizot sustained his opinions 
by numerous political writings, the success of which was 
universal. 

As professor of modern history, M. Guizot continued 
his attacks on the Ministry, which revenged itself by 
having his lectures prohibited in 1825, as Guizot w^as, at 
a later period, compelled to act towards his ex-colleagues, 
on which he again entered the literary career, and pub- 
lished several important works, amongst the most cele- 
brated of which, may be ranked the " Essais sur I'his- 
toire de France." 

On the fall of the Villele Ministry, and the return of 
the Martinac to office, M. Guizot was reinstated in his 



220 GUIZOT. 



chair, and some time afterwards, on the assumption oi 
power by Polignac, he entered the Chamber, elected by 
the College of Lisieux. 

In 1830, after the Revolution, M. Guizot was chosen 
Minister of the Interior, and headed the psfcrty of Consti- 
tutional Monarchists. On the death of Casimer Perier, 
a coalition took place between MM. Thiers and Guizot, 
and the Ministry of the 12th of October, 1832, was 
founded, in which M. Guizot occupied the post of Minis- 
ter of Public Instruction. Here he conceived and pre- 
pared the excellent law of the 23th of June, 1833, on 
primary instruction, on the principles of popular educa- 
tion, adopted and proclaimed by the Revolution of 1798, 
but arrested in its course by the social disturbances of 
the last fifty years. Eleven thousand communes, or a 
fourth of France, till then deprived of this gre benefit, 
at once saw public schools erected, where the children of^j 
the poorest might receive that instruction so necessary 
for their future welfare. After four years of existence, 
the Cabinet of the 11th of October was dissolved, on 
which M. Guizot retired, and did not enter the ranks of 
the opposition till the arrival of the Mole Administration 
into power. He was appointed by the J\Iinistry of the 
12th of May, to replace the Marshal Sebastiani as Am- 
bassador at London, and being continued in his post by 
the Ministry of the 1st of March, he was charged to de- 
fend the interests of France in the stormy question of the 
East. The eclat of his name, the austere dignity of his 
character, and his perfect acquaintance with' English 
habits and literature, rendered him very acceptable to 
the nation. 

On the breaking out of the insurrection in Syria, the 
position of M. Guizot was changed, and he returned to 
Paris to form the Ministry of the 29th of October, 1840. 
A declared advocate of peace, the new Ministry saw no 
legitimate cause for a war arising out of this question, 
and through his concessions the difiiculties which had 



1 



GUIZOT. 221 

been raised up between France and England, under the 
Thiers Administration, were adjusted. The fortifications 
of Paris already commenced, were actively continued 
by him, as personal rivalry with the late Minister did not 
prevent him from executing those parts of the late policy 
of which he approved. 

Soon after various important affairs were discussed 
in the Chamber, and adjusted under his authority, 
amongst which may be cited the Regency Bill in 
favour of the Due de Nemours on the death of the 
Due d'Orleans, and the Taiiian Question, the latter of 
which, also, at one time, seemed to be about to produce 
a rupture with England. Although in several of these 
questions, sustained but by a small majority, still his 
tact and perseverance managed to retain him in office. 

The h jsequent career of Guizot is too well known 
to require much notice. His triumphant victory in the 
elections of 1846 was fatal, for thus it was that he was 
confirmed in reactionary politics by the belief in im- 
punity. 

As a man, Guizot was well known to be pure in life, 
a good husband and a good son ; as a writer, though 
sometimes obscure, he is brilliant and correct ; as an his- 
torian, he is one of the first in modern times ; as an ora- 
tor, he is great. In politics, Guizot never was a liberal, 
nor was he ever great. He was powerful to attack with 
his pen and voice, but once in office, he was deficient in 
every one of the great qualities of a statesman. He had 
neither the boldness or originality of genius, the crea- 
tive power of legislating, or the administrative ideas of a 
reformer. Guizot, free to act according to his own fan- 
cy, might have been less mild as a politician, but he was 
but an exemplification of how few, mere literary men 
and theorists, ever succeed in action. He could defend 
power, he could consolidate by strong measures, but he 
could not make it impregnable by good laws. But the 
great fault of Guizot was his servile obedience to the 
Monarch, from the mere love of place and power. To 



222 GUizoT. 

cling to office, he bore with all the odium which an in- 
dignant public opinion poured upon him. So that the 
Monarch was pleased and he kept office, he cared not for 
the masses, and of late years never introduced a law 
which could in any way be said to bear on their con- 
dition. 

Beyond a fault, and verging on crime, was his con- 
nivance at the foul corruption which ate into the vitals 
of the land. As Louis Philippe sought to make a France 
without honour or virtue, and sacrificing all to money, 
would have made it after his own image, so did Guizot 
connive at all. An open hand was held out to all the 
rogues, the profligates, the schemers, who, for pay, were 
ready to do the dirty work of the Administration. Under 
this system, crime and infamy were every where. A 
King and Ministers, supported by brute force and by 
corruption ; a Senate, whose road to favour, was their 
servility and baseness ; a Legislature degraded by the 
notorious and odious traffic in their votes going on every 
day ; Ministers, making their hotels asylums for pilfer- 
ing and simony ; corruption in every order of state ; 
such was the system aided and abetted by Guizot. 

For the infamies of the Regency and the reign of 
Louis XV. had this King and councillor substituted more 
despicable, mean, and petty vices. To pilfer in the ser- 
vice of the State had become a mode of revenue. Every 
day exposures blasted the system, and this feeling was 
fast spreading throughout every portion of the body poli- 
tic. That virtue is not the soul of monarchy, was never 
better exemplified than during the reign of Louis Phi- 
lippe and his satellite ; and for the sake of honour, vir- 
tue, and every noble and generous feeling, it was high 
time the whole fabric fell to the dust ; they built their 
house on sand, and had with them neither the blessing 
of God, nor the love of man. Unhonoured, hated, they 
reigned, until despised they fell. None regretted them ; 
though many feared the Republic, not a man in France 



THIERS. 223 

but breathed more freely when Louis Philippe and Gui- 
zot were no longer in the land. A weight of iniquity 
was off when the tyrant and his accomplice fled. 

History will deal hardly with both, but not more so 
than they deserve. Nothing can be said too severe for 
men who ruled the nation by its vices instead of its vir- 
tuesj and sought not to try what they could do for France, 
but what it would fetch ; who never advocated a noble 
and a generous part, but always sided with despotism, 
iniquity, and the principles of tyranny. 

So much for Guizot ! 

M. Thiers, who has been completely, at all events 
temporarily, extinguished by the Revolution, must not, 
however, be omitted from this chapter of sketches. Though 
less prominent in his recent opposition to the Government 
than Barrot, from the fact that he did not attend the 
Banquets, Thiers was only the more pungent, acrid, and 
bitter in his journal and at the tribune. A politician 
scarcely more honest than Guizot, following out the track 
of place, Thiers has been Republican, Radical, Whig, 
Conservative, according as it served his purpose. Before 
the Revolution of 1830, nothing could be more democra- 
tic. His History of the French Revolution was favour- 
able to that great event ; but when Louis Philippe 
ascended the throne, and the charms of office held out 
their tempting baits, Thiers became a Girondin of the 
new Revolution, held the populace in abhorrence, and 
made himself the subservient tool of the middle classes. 
The later editions of the work of Thiers were modified 
to suit his new views, and he became a confirmed Mo- 
derate. 

Thiers' personal appearance is thus described by a 
clever writer. It is exaggerated, like most French pro- 
ductions, but is nearly true : — " Enter the Chamber on 
the occasion of any parliamentary tournament ; direct 
your eyes towards that narrow cage, bordered with 
marble, which serves as a tribune to the haranguers, and 



224 THIERS. 

gaze at what there is agitated. It is a little man, whose 
head alone is visible, so small is his stature. This head 
is adorned with a face passably ugly, rather full of 
grimaces, but lively, expressive, speaking, original, and, 
as it were, hung to a pair of enormous spectacles." 

Louis Adolphe Thiers, like most men of talent, is 
the child of his own work. Born at Marseilles on the 
16th of April, 1797, his father was a working man, his 
mother a poor descendant of a wealthy merchant's 
family. By the interest of maternal relations, he entered 
the Imperial Lyceum at Marseilles, where he studied 
until 1815, when at eighteen years of age, he began the 
study of law at Aix. Here he learned in t^mmon with 
another son of the people, M. Mignet. 

At Aix, Thiers had the character of a Revolutionist. 
He spoke on all occasions against the Government of the 
Restoration, lauded that of the Republic and the Empire, 
and despite the enmity of the professor, carried off by a 
little swperclierie the first and second prize of oratory. 
Every thing showed the coming man. No sooner was 
he received an avocat, than he came with Mignet to Paris ; 
and taking up their quarters in a garret of a gloomy 
hotel, in the dirty passage of Montesquieu, looked about 
him. Fortune was soon favourable to him. In 1823, 
Manuel, the great liberal orator, was violently expelled 
the Chamber. Thiers saw the chance, went to him, was 
well received and introduced to Lafitte, who opened for 
him the bureau of the Constitutionnel. His articles were 
at once remarked, and the young journalist v/ell received 
in the saloons of Lafitte, Casimer Prerier, Flahaut, 
Baron Louis, and even Talleyrand. 

In these places he met all the men who still remained 
of the great revolutionary epochs. He talked, questioned, 
listened, and, on going home, wrote. In a few years, 
from these oi^iginal resources, and from other materials, 
he produced the only complete history of the French 
Revolution which had yet appeared. The very demo- 



THIERS. 225 

cratie and republican character of this first edition was 
its success, and the old revolutionary feelings of 1783 
came into fashion. 

His book made a noise. An obscure German book- 
seller, Schubart, like a good angelj introduced him to 
Baron Cotta, an ex-publisher and millionaire, who, in 
admiration of his talents, gave him a share in the Con- 
stitutionnel. M. Thiers now descended from his garrety 
became a dandy, frequented Tortoni's, and mounted on 
horseback, v/hile Schubart returned to die of hunger in 
his own country. 

But the Constitutionnel is not democratic enough for 
M. Thiers, who, had he been consistent, v/ould now be 
the great statesman of the Revolution. In 1828, with 
Armand Carrel, and the more enthusiastic of the revolu- 
tionary party, he founded the NationaL M. Thiers is 
now playing a deep game. To overthrow the system of 
the Restoration the co-operation of the masses is required^ 
and he makes himself popular with the masses. He 
begins a war to the knife against the Government of the 
Bourbons, he never lets them have any rest, he closes 
round the Polignacs, he harasses them, he quotes the 
Charter, and mainly contributes to the convulsion of 
1830. 

It came, 1830. On the morning of the 26th, all the 
journalists were at the National office. M. Thiers was 
at his post. A collective protestation is drawn up, and 
Thiers signs it the first, thus risking his head. Like the 
forbidding of the Banquet, it was the signal of revolution. 
The people ratified it in the streets by flying to arms. 
Thiers declares he will confine himself to legal means, 
and goes to Montmorency. On the 29th, after the battle,- 
he returns to Paris. The next day, he went to Nieullyy 
from Lafitte, to call on the Duke of Orleans, to under- 
take the Lieutenant-Generalship of the kingdom. 

As Under-Secretary of State, under Lafitte, he bat- 
tled against the great commercial crisis. Elected a 

20 



226 THIERS. 

member of the Chamber of Deputies, his democratic 
ideas, his wish to revolutionize the world, his a-la Danton 
speeches made him scarcely tolerated. But Thiers soon 
saw that this tack would not do, and it cost him nothing 
to veer round. When the Lafitte' Ministry fell, and the 
young orator was counted on by the Opposition, his first 
speech showed his utter disregard of political principle, 
and his ingratitude to Lafitte. He became as conserative 
as he had been democratic, as peaceful as he had been 
warlike, as anti-propagandist as he had been hotly the 
contrary. He even went so far as to defend the here- 
ditary peerage, one of the most senseless notions ever 
conceived in a country which had once abolished such a 
relic of the dark ages. But Casimir Perrier, whose 
ministry he supported, died on October 11, 1832, and 
Soult became Prime Minister, with Thiers as Minister 
of the Interior. The situation v\ras bad. Vendee in civil 
war, Belgium menaced, irritation every where. Thiers 
bought a traitor, and the Duchess be Berri was arrested. 
He then attacked Antwerp, and the liberty of Belgium 
was assured. 

Become Minister of Commerce and Public Works, 
he, by his activity, restored France to prosperity, started 
canals and roads everv where, and encouraged commerce 
and trade hitherto languishing. But, in 1834, the Re- 
publicans were so extensively organized, and so power- 
ful, that the Orleans dynasty tottered. Thiers has used 
this party, and sacrificed them without mercy. He pro- 
poses a law against associations, which is carried, and 
breaks up the extensive conspiracy which was fourteen 
years in re-organizing itself. When the insurrection of 
April arose, simultaneous with that of Lyons, he saved 
the monarchy, crushed the rising, disguised its true force 
and danger, and saw Captain Rey and Armand de Ver- 
eilles killed by his side at a barricade. 

But Soult and Thiers quarrel, and the former retires, 
a rough and intemperate soldier, to be followed by Mar- 



THIERS. 227 

shal Gerard, who, however cannot agree with the young 
Minister. Unable yet to aspire to the Presidency, Thiers 
resigns, and for three days the comedy of a Bassano 
Ministry is played. At the end of that period, Marshal 
Mortier devoted himself, and Thiers was again Minister. 
But again, on the question of an amnesty, they quarrelled. 
Thiers was against the measure, and Mortier retired, to 
be followed, after a little more of comedy, by the Presi- 
dencyi of Broglie. 

Then came the affair of Fieschi, which had the grave 
result of bringing about the laws of September, which 
gagged the press and limited the trial by jury. These mea- 
sures were the most fatal acts of conservatism which 
Thiers ever committed, and have never been forgotten 
by the radicals and republicans. Soon after, Broglie and 
Guizot retired, leaving Thiers as President of the Council 
and Minister for Foreign Affairs ; not long, however, 
since on the question of intervention in Spain, Thiers' 
partisans differed from the opinion of the King, and re- 
signed. A Mole Ministry and a coalition opposition fol- 
lowed, which monstrous combination having been success- 
ful, there was a battle for the vacant offices, which ended 
in Thiers becoming a simple deputy, the events of the 
12th of May having decided the ministerial crisis. 

The Eastern question and other complications, brought 
back M. Thiers to power on the 1st of March, 1840. It 
is not here the place to discuss his conduct in these af- 
fairs • suffice it that he shortly afterwards fell, and was 
followed by the cabinet of the 29th of October, the long- 
est, most powerful and most unpopular administration 
which ever held the reins of office in France. 

From this day Thiers devoted himself to literature 
and opposition,* until at last having raised, by means of a 
coalition of whigs, radicals, republicans, carlists and so- 
cialists, a storm before which Guizot must have fallen, 
Thiers saw himself on the very pinnacle of power again, 
when the people stepped in and swept away the throne, 



228 MOLE. 

monarchy, institutions, all ; and the celebrated historian 
and journalist, the ex-Minister, ex-Deputy, ex-President, 
of the Council, member of the French Academy, be- 
came a private individual. It is yet to be seen if elected 
to the coming Chamber, he will play a part in the im- 
mense legislative drama which is preparing in France. 

Talented as a writer and an orator, Thiers is a place- 
man but not a statesman. He wants not genius, but a 
guiding and leading principle. He has no faith in any 
institutions or in any men. He joins that party which is 
most likely to serve his own interests, and if he serves 
his country, it is for his own sake. It is impossible to 
respect the politician, though we admire the genius, in- 
dustry and perseverance of the man. In fact between 
the editor of the " National " and " Constitutionnel," 
between the revolutionist of 1828 and 1829, and the con- 
servative of 1834, between the Doctrinaire of one date 
and the Liberal of another, between the bold writer and 
the enemy of all liberty the press, there is too wide 
a difference to make us do other than despise the politi- 
cian. There is a giving w^y, a change in public men, 
which we understand, but one may cede to public opinion, 
without being a weathercock, tossed about by the wind, 
not of opinion but interest. It is to me perfectly clear 
why the people of Paris, on the morning of the 24th, re- 
fused to accept Thiers, and thought him a Minister no 
better or more liberally disposed than Guizot. 

The stormy events of the late Revolution having 
called M. Mole into power for a few hours, it is absolutely 
necessary to give a slight sketch of him. 

Louis Mathieu Mole was born in 1780, and early in 
life felt the effects of Revolutions. In 1794, during the 
Reign of Terror, his family hid themselves in a garret in 
the Rue du Bac. Here, deprived of the necessaries of 
life, and in momentary fear of apprehension, the young 
Louis, then fourteen years of age, with a precocity of 
mind produced by misfortune, went out secretly at night- 



MOLE. 229 

fall, and by his youthful appearance, escaped the suspi- 
cions of the police. By this means, he had an opportu- 
nity both of procuring intelligence of passing events, and 
of affording succour and hope to his confined relations. 
Soon after, the family succeeded in leaving Paris ; but 
his father, the President Mole de Champlatreux, w^ho had 
emigrated, being determined to return to France, and im- 
prudently taking his son v^^ith him, both vv^ere soon dis- 
covered and thrown into prison. The President was 
soon after executed, and the extreme youth of Louis with 
difficulty succeeded in saving him. He was threatened 
with the most horrible menaces to discover the hiding- 
place of the Marchioness of Samoignon, his grandmother, 
of his mother and sister, but all in vain ; and after a 
considerable detention, he was liberated. However, it 
was necessary that he should quit France ; and one of 
the old servants of the family having obtained power in 
the revolutionary Government, notice was sent them so 
that they were enabled to escape pursuit. The young 
Mole went into Switzerland, and afterwards into England ; 
but, after a thousand difficulties, he was again enabled to 
enter France on the fall of Robespierre. Without for- 
tune or prospects, on arriving in Paris he entered the 
Polytechnic School, and prepared to acquire for himself 
the splendid position which he afterwards occupied. 

On the establishment of the Consulate, the young 
Mole demanded an audience from Bonaparte to claim 
the restitution of his estates which were not sold ; and 
the fine property of Champlatreaux was restored to him. 
Shortly after, he was made auditor of the Council of 
State, in consequence of a book of his which the Em- 
peror approved of This was an apology for despotism, 
which was of course perfectly suitable to Napoleon. 
His fortunes proceeded rapidly, and too numerous to be 
mentioned. He became a Councillor of State attached 
to the person of Napoleon, and worked with him, always 
supporting him, even in his most arbitrary measures. 

20* 



230 MOLE, 

At the Restoration he was continued in his direction of 
roads and bridges, and distinguished himself by not, 
though a noble, mixing up in the rancorous hatred of the 
returned emigrants. Though he voted the death of 
Marshal Ney, he tried hard afterwards to save him. 

In August, 1817, he became Minister of Marine. 
In 1820 he separated himself from the ultra-royalists ; 
in 1822 he went into opposition against the Villele Ad- 
ministration, and systematically, up to the Polignac cab- 
inet, remained separated from the party in power, more 
particularly so from the latter. In 1830 he decided at 
once for the peace party, while many were craving a 
return to the territories of the empire. Soon after, he 
went into opposition against Lafitte ; while under Casi- 
mir Perrier, he defended the hereditary peerage. Until 
the l5th of April, 1837, he, with a brief interval, re- 
mained out of office. His administration, which lasted 
two years, was really one of the most liberal under 
Louis Philippe. It fell from excess of honesty and want 
of oratorical talent to defend itself at the tribune, 
attacked as it was by a mass of ambitious placemen. 

M, Mole is the beau-ideal of an honest, sincere Con- 
servative, dreaming of bringing about the old regime, 
with an aristocracy and hereditary House of Lords. He 
cannot see that the day for baubles is past, and that soci- 
ety now requires realities. No empire or monarchy is 
safe which rests on other foundations than the love of the 
people, brought about by sincere attention to their inter- 
ests. 

Odillon Barrot was born at Villefort, on the 19th of 
July, 1790. His father was a member of the Conven- 
tion, of the Council of Five Hundred, and of the Legis- 
lative body. Educated at Paris, at the Lycee Napoleon, 
he did not distinguish himself very highly. Of a calm 
and temperate character, he differed much from that fiery 
youth, who from the colleges fed the armies of Napoleon. 
At twenty-three, he was an advocate of the Cour de 



ODILLON BARROT. 231 

Cassation. On the day Napoleon returned from Elba to 
Paris, Barrot, as a National Guard, mounted sentry at 
the Tuileries. Several of the most brilliant oratorical 
displays connected with political questions, brought Bar- 
rot into notice under the Restoration. At the Revolu- 
tion of July, he formed a part of the committees which 
guided the movement, and more than any one, decitled 
Lafayette against accepting the Presidency of a Repub- 
lic which was offered him. Every one knows, that on 
the 30th July, France had a narrow escape from a Re- 
public, and that the scheming of a few men, gave her 
up, bound hand and foot, once more to monarchy. As 
Prefect of the Seine, he distinguished himself in the 
early days of the Monarchy of July by his independence. 
Having resigned, he began that career ot opposition 
which he has never since ceased. An Utopian, striving 
all his life to form in France, a Government which 
should have all the advantages of a Republic, without 
the terrors which timid people see in the name, Barrot 
could never be popular or influential except with the 
middle classes ; who asked for reform and progression 
for themselves, but would have started back horrified at 
the idea of admitting the people within the pale of the 
constitution. Eloquent, sarcastic, and lively, he is most 
effective as an orator, though withal, there is a ponde- 
rosity peeping out, which is not always so well concealed 
as he generally manages to keep it. Highly honourable 
in public and private life, he would, as Minister, have, 
in all probability, carried the Monarchy of July over all 
the storms of 1848. But his warnings were despised, 
and he and monarchy fell together. Still, his fall was 
noble, for though full of indecision, his conduct of late 
has been highly creditable to his patriotism and good 
name. 

Of Bugeaud I shall not say much, as his part in the 
Revolution was incidental. Thomas Robert Bugeaud de 
la Piconnerie, was born in 1786, at Limoges. Of a no- 



232 BUGEAIJD. 

ble family, that remained in France during the Revolu- 
tion, he entered the army in 1805 as a private. He. 
however, rapidly distinguished himself, and the Restora- 
tion found him a Colonel. He saluted the restored 
dynasty with rapturous loyalty ; so he did the return of 
Napoleon from Elba, for which he was punished, by 
beirfg sent to the country on half-pay, under Louis XVIIl. 
Cultivating cabbages, the Colonel Bugeaud remained 
until 1830, when he was elected a Deputy, on the ground 
of his popularity as an able and talented agriculturist. 
In the Chamber, his politics was rabid Conservatism ; 
every thing which smelt of the people, Thomas de la Pi- 
connerie treated with profound contempt. The sword 
was his only mode of reasoning with Republicans. His 
tremendous battle with them, or rather massacre of them 
in the Rue Transnonian is sufficient proof of this. 

Sent to Algiers, the rough, insolent, and jack-booted 
politician, proved an excellent soldier, but a wretched, 
even contemptible diplomatist, as may be seen by the ■ 
ridiculous treaty of Tana, where he was completely 
overreached by Abd-el-Kader. But war once re-com- 
menced, the military man re-appeared, and the war jEin- 
ished by the victory of Isly, which raised him to a very 
high degree of popularity. His return to France, his 
long-talked of, never-commenced opposition to Ministers, 
his part in the Revolution of February, is too well known 
to require enlargement here. 



LAMARTINE. 233 



CHAPTER XVIL 

LAMARTINE ARAGO LEDRU-EOLLIN — CREMIEUX— LOUIS 

BLANC MARRAST—FLOCON— ALBERT. 

Tender poet! harmonious songster! royalist by tra- 
dition ! republican by sympathy ! pitying Louis XVI in 
the same page that he does justice to the stern virtues of 
Robespierre, Alphonsedu Prat, afterwards called Lamar- 
tine, after a maternal uncle, will doubtless be one of the 
great names in the history of the nineteenth century. 
Born at Macon on the 21st of October, 1790, his father 
was a cavalry major under Louis XVL This boy, who 
was to play so striking a part in a great revolution, 
passed many months of childhood in visiting his father 
during his confinement in a revolutionary prison. Soon 
after, he retired with his family to Milly, and there in 
peace, in repose, watched by a mother's love, who taught 
him pure and holy thoughts, Lamartine drew in a poet's 
inspiration, and that sympathy with the suffering millions 
which have made of him, a royalist, a kind of social re- 
publican. Educated at the college of the Peres du Foi, 
at Berlez, Lamartine continued to receive the germs of 
that religious tone, which, though occasionally eccentric, 
pervades his writings. In Italy, in Paris, he pursued his 
studies, or rather his dreams, and composed his Medita- 
tions. At the fall of Napoleon, the young royalist be- 
came one of the gardes-du-corps of the returned Bour- 
bon ; but after the hundred days, he devoted himself to 
literature, and from 1820 to 1824, so quick was his pop- 



234 LAMARTINE. 

ularity, 45,000 copies of his Meditations were scattered 
abroad. After this, he began his diplomatic career at 
Florence, as sectary of legation, to continue it afterwards 
in Naples and London. It must not be forgotten that 
about this time he married a young and rich English- 
woman. Though with her fortune and the inheritance 
of an uncle, he was rich, the pleasures of an aristocratic 
existence did not make him forget poetry. His second 
Meditation, more correct, more perfect than his first, ap- 
peared in 1823, shortly after which he fought a duel with 
Colonel Pepe for the following two lines in his " Dernier 
Chant" ofChilde Harold:— 

" Je vais chercher ailleurs (pardonne, ombre Romaine) 
Des hommes, et non pas de la poussiere humaine." 

This slur on Italy nearly cost him his life, he being se- 
verely wounded by a sword in the combat. 

His " Chant du Sacre," his " Harmonies poetiques et 
religieuses," having appeared, he was received at the 
Academy, and was about to start as Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary to Greece, when the July Revolution burst out. 
After vainly hoping, with Chateaubriand, to see the aged 
monarch followed by a child, Lamartine accepted frankly 
the revolution and its King. But he was rejected as a 
candidate for the Chamber, and went to the East, to re- 
turn and write his magnificent " Voyage en Orient." 
This remarkable book I cannot here stop to analyze. 
Having here lost a beloved child, and suffered the mar- 
tyrdom of a father passionately attached to these frail, 
but precious items of humanity, Lamartine in 1834 re- 
turned to France to take his seat in the Chamber. All 
men gave him a party ; but he was neither legitimist 
nor radical, centre droit, nor centre gauche ; tiers parity 
nor juste milieu. He was the friend of justice, of huma- 
nity, of tolerance, of morality, of the poor. 

Still he neglected not poetry, and " Jocelyn " was 
added to his laurels, followed by the "Chute d'un Ange." 



LAMARTINE. 235 

His " Recueillements poetiqiies," an exquisite poem on 
his "Julia's death,'' is like manna amid the host of false 
rhyme and sentiment, dignified in France too often by 
the name of poetry. 

In the Chamber his speeches on the Eastern question, 
in favour of the abolition of the punishment of death, his 
noble words in behalf of foundlings, his warm and able 
improvisation in favour of classical studies in answer to 
Arago, raised him rapidly to a level with the first orators 
of France. He became shortly after the head of a party 
known as ihe parti social. As this is an important ques- 
tion, I make a very clear and useful extract from one of 
his biographers ; as it is of consequence not to confound 
the Socialism of Lamartine with that of the half-lunatic 
schemers, who have under his name advocated such pes- 
tilential theories in England. 

" What is the Social party ? Or rather what is the 
political idea of M. de Lamartine ? Placed beyond the 
position and ideas of the men of to-day, the political sys- 
tem of the poet will scarcely admit of succinct and pre- 
cise analysis. In the eye of Lamartine, all the great 
commotions in France since 1789, have not been con- 
nected with a political and local revolution, but with a 
social and universal revolution ; these partial houleverse- 
merits are but the prelude of a general transformation, 
and the world appears to him shortly called upon to un- 
dergo a complete renovation in ideas, manners, and laws. 
Under this point of view, the doctrine of M. de Lamar- 
tine approaches that of Fourier and St. Simon ; he does 
not reject the relationship, he proclaims it. ' St. Simo- 
nianism has in it,' he says, ' something true, great, and 
ficond J the application of Christianity to political soci- 
ety, and the legislation of human fraternity ; in this 
point of view, I am a St. Simonian. What caused this 
extinct sect to fail was, not the idea, not the disciples, 
but a head, a master, a legislator. The organizers of 
St. Simonism were in error when they made war at once 



236 LAMAETINE, 

on the family, on property, on religioo. . . , The world 
is not conquered by the force of a word ; it is converted, 
it is moved, it is laboured, it is changed.' It now re- 
mains to be seen what is the practical system which La- 
martine at once presents to the social v/orld. ' You say 
that all is dying, that there is neither faith nor belief j 
there is a faith, and that is general reason ; words are its 
organ, the press its apostle ; it will re-jnake in its image 
religion, civilization, society, and legislation. In reli- 
gion, it requires God one and perfect for dogma, eternal 
morality for symbol, adoration and charity for worship ^ 
in politics, humanity above nationality ; in legislation, 
man equal to man, man the brother of man, Christianity 
legislated.' '' 

All this is very vague and dreamy ; but the meaning 
i s good, generous, noble : and in a Catholic country more 
intelligible than with us. In my opinion, in no Roman 
Catholic country can the semi- paganism of the priests 
ever contend against philosophy, united with the ideas 
of primitive Christianity. The progress of education 
makes men either Protestants or urges them further. Let 
the Protestants be alive. 

M. de Lamartine has another grand notion. He sees 
Greece, the East g-enerallv. those magnificent countries 
round the Mediterranean, half depopulated by bad gov- 
ernment, and he proposes by pouring in there a great 
emigration from civilized lands, to create prosperous na- 
tions, and millions of men walking side by side with us 
in civilization. 

After, a brief career as a Conservative during the 
excitement of the Eastern question, in which he took 
the Anglo-Russian side. Lamartine became once more a 
social reformer, and joined the Constitutional Opposition 
in their crusade against the Guizot Ministry. His elo- 
quence, his ardour, his influence on the masse, was of 
great use to them, as it was also to the free-trader. 

But the secret of his present position is his splendid 



LAMARTINE. 237 

poetical and exciting sketch of the French Revolution, 
known as "the Girondins." This work, which like all 
the productions of a poet, is imaginative in the details, 
though correct in facts, is the ablest defence of those 
much calumniated men who sought, amid coalesced 
Europe, to found liberty in France, that has ever ap- 
peared. His bold separation of Robespierre from the 
ferocious Marat, the savage ' and profligate Danton, the 
mad Desmoulins, was an act of courage, which showed 
him capable of sacrificing every thing for truth. The 
Royalists and Buonapartists shunned the outcast of the 
race, who dared 'to see any but monsters as actors in the 
French Revolution, and refused to read his book, for fear, 
we suppose, of being won by the charm of his eloquence. 
His severe blame on acts which he thought bad ; his 
generous appreciation of the glories of the Convention ; 
his declaration in favour of republicanism as the only 
form of government under which ' the poor and the la- 
bourer are cared for ; his exposure of the traitorous 
emigration, and of the part played by Dumouriez and 
Louis Philippe, with the European popularity of his 
work, marked M. de Lamartine out for the position he 
now holds. 

Sincere, I believe, for the mad enemies, who pretend 
that he is playing a deep and base game as the friend of 
Henry V, are surely not to be credited, Lamartine hates 
blood, turmoil, civil war and commotion. With rare 
courage, eloquence and love for the people, there is great 
hope for the revolution with him at its head. He will 
repress the violent, calm the obstinate, advocate great 
and comprehensive measures, and guide the helm of the 
state well, if the coming elections send not to the Con- 
vention a turbulent host of ignorant demagogues, who 
do more harm to republicanism than all the gold or 
hordes of Russia could ever effect. If the republic falls, 
it will be because great and noisy promisers, brawlers 
and intriguers have deceived the people. Already 

21 



238 LAMAETINE. 

knaves and fools have made them half believe that legis« 
iation can fix wages. If the masses credit this absurdity, 
they will be the severest sufferers by the delusion. 
Government can aid in restoring credit ; can lighten the 
burdens of the state ; can pursue rigid economy and 
avoid causes for bloody wars ; can promote commerce, 
trade and agriculture ; can reduce the taxation weighing 
on the poor; can educate, enlighten and instruct; can 
spread the impositions more equally over classes ; but it 
can neither create work nor v/ages. "Supply and de- 
mand" beat legislation hollow. 

I have much faith in Lamartine. The man has out- 
shone the poet already. Let him continue and leave to 
posterity the imperishable glory of having founded, aided 
by the brave people of Paris, a great and mighty Repub- 
lic, which shall set an example to all the nations of the 
earth. 

Dominique Francois Arago, great as an astronomer 
and as a republican, was born on the 2-th of February, 
1786, at Estagel, near Perpignan. After studying at 
the college of Perpignan, Arago, at eighteen, entered 
the Polytechnic School, immediately after leaving which 
he became the secretary of the Longitude Office. At a 
later period, he was called by the Emperor to make part 
of the important scientific voyage to Spain, under Biot, 
to measure the arc of the terrestrial meridian. His 
scientific researches and his adventures in Spain would 
fill a volume — so mighty were the former, so romantic 
the latter. At length, however, he regained France, 
end was, despite the rules, elected a member of the 
Academy of Sciences at twenty-three, and chosen for 
this, Professor at the Polytechnic school by Napoleon. 

So much did Napoleon like Arago, that when, after 

Waterloo, the illustrious exile meditated a residence in 

the United States, he intended to have taken AraL'^o with 

him, to devote himself with him to the study of science. 

The scientific renown of Arago is European, and the 



CREMIEUX. 239 

subject out of place here. In 1831 he was elected mem- 
ber for Perpignan, and at once took his position with the 
democratic party. His opposition was bold and energet- 
ic, his speech on the detached forts exposed the object of 
them with a lucidity which made the enemies of the peo- 
ple shiver with rage. His political history has been but 
a repetition of attacks on the Government and declared 
advocacy of republican views. 

A neat and sarcastic orator, abounding with good 
sense and honesty, Arago is one of the best men into 
whose hands a share of the Government of the new Rev- 
olution could have been given. 

Of Cremieux little is known but that he is an able 
lawyer of the Jewish persuasion, firm and sincere in his 
opinions. Ledru-Rollin is an ultra-democrat of the old 
revolutionary school, earnest, zealous, but extremely hot- 
headed ; the very model of a sincere, patriotic Irishman, 
whose zeal, however, very often outruns his discretion. 
There is too a spice of violence, of levelling, of socialism, 
of hate against the rich, against England, which makes 
him somewhat dangerous. 

Marie is an ex-Deputy, of very extreme opinions, with 
some prejudice against the middle classes. 

Marrast, the editor of the " National," married, as is 
also Ledru-Roilin, to an English lady, is a man of vast 
talent. His head is clear, his style energetic, his sym- 
pathies broad and enlarged. If at times he attacks Eng- 
land, it is our exclusive system, our aristocratic govern- 
ment, our class legislation, our devotion to aged institu- 
tions, which he hates, and not us. With the English 
people he has every and all sympathy, -' overthrow your 
aristocracy," he cries, " and then England and France 
against all the world !" 

Flocon, a republican of the old school, has been more 

soured than Marrast by the long visits to prisons, with 

which he was favoured by Louis Philippe's Government. 

■ He is an ultra-democrat and socialist, in the sense of 



240 LOUIS BLANC ALBERT. 

uniting capital and labour. As editor of the " Reforme/' 
he has shown himself possessed of much ability, not how- 
ever unaccompanied by violence and declamation. His 
views are veiy impracticable. 

Louis Blanc, the young historian of " Ten Years of 
Reign," is able, enthusiastic, sincere. He means well, 
and that is much. If his views relative to the osganiza- 
tion of labour be not carried out, he still will do much 
service by his presence in the Convention. His studies, 
his original ideas, his energy and perseverance will car- 
ry him far. Cured by experience of Utopianism,.he will 
be a useful man to the revolution. 

Albert is an operative, but not a mere uneducated 
working man. The head of an immense workshop, 
whose interests he had to care for and discuss, his reason 
and oratorical powers have been tried with great effect. 
His writings on social questions are able, and have met 
with great popularity. He is a literary, rather than a 
working man. 



ADDENDA. 



SCENES DESCRIBED BY ANOTHER EYE-WITNESS. 

" Now came the general cry, ' the Tuileries are 
taken !' As I approached the Tuileries I saw throngs 
of people at every window, on every balcony of the 
palace. Guns were being fired in the air, as feux de 
joie, in all directions above, below, from great salon win- 
dows and from attics, from the place and court below. 
Amidst the uproar of shouting and firing a wild multi- 
tude was pouring forwards to the palace, ever more, and 
more, and more ' to the crash of doom ;' men, women, 
children, almost all armed, more or less seriously, more 
or less grotesquely, dancing, singing, chorusing, em- 
bracing — the most frantic scene of excitement ! and all 
on — on to the palace, from which a king and his family 
had so hastily — far too hastily fled. Some were already 
coming forth from the great swarming beehive of a 
palace with bread, the ammunition of the soldiers, legs 
of mutton, joints of meat on their bayonets, and bottles 
of wine in their pockets ; the carriages were being 
dragged into the court, furniture flung from the broken 
windows. The great entrance was so besieged when I 
reached it, that it was an almost hopeless task to gain 
admission there : but yet the multitude gave way before 
a procession that came forth. It was headed by a youth 
of the Polytechnic School, in uniform, followed by an 



242 ADDENDA. 

old man bearing the great cross taken from the palace 
chapel ; it was guarded by men of tlie people armed, 
followed by others ; all were without their hats ; and at 
the general cry, ' respect to the Holy One !' the frantic 
mob doffed theirs on every side. It was a picture that 
stirred one's heart ; a picture of religious deference in 
the midst of the wildest riot, worthy of the pencil of a 
great painter ; a scene that gave for the moment hopeful 
thoughts of the better feeling of the people. The pro- 
cession passed on with the cry ' To the Church of St. 
Roch.' 

" By a side entrance to the right and a small stair- 
case, comparatively free, I reached the first floor of the 
palace, and found myself in the apartment of the Duchess 
of Orleans. Here every thing gave evidence of a good 
spirit among the mob. The crowd was great to be sure ; 
but it gazed with curiosity and touched nothing. In the 
salon was a still blazing fire ; on a table were several 
books, among which the ' Consulai' of Thiei's, and the 
' Algerie ' of Alexander Dumas, turned "down open on 
the table-cloth, as the unfortunate duchess had probably 
laid it down at the moment of disturbance ; on the floor 
and on a sofa were a set of little card-paper soldiers on 
wooden stands, set out as if for battle, with which her 
two boys had probably been playing when taken from 
their sports to quit their home and return to it no more. 
Touching sight ! A boy took up one of the toys, but an 
armed artisan, covered with the smoke of battle, forced 
him to lay it down again. ' 'Tis but a toy^ expostu- 
lated the little fellow. ' But if you take a toy, others 
would think they might take a treasure,' said the self- 
installed guard, angrily. In the bedroom of the poor 
duchess were the hat of her ill-timed husband, his epau- 
lettes, and his whip, under a glass "case ; the crowd 
walked round these objects curiously, but with respect. 
I saw some shed tears. Here was thrown a shawl in 
the dressing-room — there a silk dress, signs of hasty and 



ADDENDA. 243 

agitated departure. Every where stood small objects of 
value and taste ; but here no one touched them. My 
heart was quite wrung with the sight of these tokens of 
the domestic life of one, born for high destinies, and now 
a fugitive. 

" In the state apartments the scene was far otherwise. 
Here were the widest confusion and disorder. The 
throne had been already carried away; the curtains 
every where torn down ; the candelabras smashed ! every 
where thronging, yelling, half-intoxicated crowds. In 
the theatre all was broken and torn ; the people seemed 
to resent the past pleasures of the royal family. In the 
chapel the altar had been respected ! but every other ob- 
ject was broken. In the king's private rooms the scene 
was, if possible, more disorderly still. Every thing was 
broken, and papers were flung about. In truth there 
seemed not much of value to destroy : and here a few 
sturdy men were mounting guard over what appeared to 
be collected articles of value, or cassettes of money. A 
few ruffianly-looking fellows were devouring, quietly 
seated, the untouched breakfast set out for the fugitive 
king. 

" I knew not then, what I have known since, the 
scenes that, but a few hours before, had passed there ; 
the prostration of the king's mind at the unnecessary 
alarm : the entreaties, the commands almost, of some of 
the deputies of the Opposition for his abdication in favour 
of his grandson, little thinking they were playing a game 
they were so soon to lose, at the moment they thought to 
win it. The supplications of the queen, she generally 
so calm and so resigned, who went from one to the other 
' as a lioness,' imploring them not to counsel such an act 
of cowardice, urging her bewildered husband 'rather to 
mount on horseback, and allow himself to be killed at 
the head of his troops, than thus in coward spii'it to throw 
down a crown he had taken up against her will, but was 
now bound to guard.' And yet these sad scenes of history 



244 ADDENDA. 

had passed, upon that spot of a people's riot in triumph, 

so shortly before. 

" In the delicately furnished rooms of the apartments 
belonging, I believe, to the Duchesses of Nemours and 
Montpensier, the scene was far different from that on the 
other side of the palace. Much had been broken and 
destroyed ; dresses torn out, ai^ticles of value scattered 
about ; letters passed from hand to hand. Nothing was 
respected, in spite of the violent efforts made by many of 
the better disposed. Big bearded men with costly shawls 
upon their backs, and cigars in their mouths, reclined on 
satin sofas, playing at duchesses, and begging, in falsetto 
voice, that curtains might be drawn because it was cold ; 
others rolled their dirty smoke-smeared persons in the 
white beds, with obscene jokes and gestures ; whilst by 
the side of one stood an old female servant crying at this 
dishonour of her mistress's couch, perhaps the only in- 
mate of the palace who had remained. The grotesque, 
the horrible, the unseemly, the wild, and the pathetic, 
were mins^led in a scene of confusion like a hideous 
nightmare, that none who have witnessed it ever can 
forget. 

" In the court, as I came forth, were blazing bonfires 
made of the royal carriages and fourgons, and piles of 
broken furniture. The people were rushing about with 
torn dresses, and strips of curtains on their bayonet- 
points. One drunken man stopped me to beg me to feel 
the satin of Louis Philippe's court breeches, which he 
had put on over his own pantaloons. The rattling of the 
breaking windows, and of the furniture hurled out of 
them, was constantly accompanied by the incessant shouts 
and singing of the ' Marseillaise,' and the running fire of 
the discharged muskets. 

" Great was my astonishment on returning to the 
desolate scenes upon the Boulevards — desolate, although 
crowded with almost all the population of Paris, — when 
the blazing guard-houses shed their flames over rioting 



ADDENDA. 245 

men, drunken with wine as well as victory,— where 
pools of blood still marked the spot where the fate- 
fraught shots had been fired on the previous night before 
the Hotel of Foreign Affairs, on the walls of which 
bloody fingers had traced the words, ' mort a Guizot V — 
where all was ruifi and destruction,— to hear the republic 
solemnly proclaimed upon these ruins. Written lists, 
headed ' Yw& la RepuUique V were pasted upon shutters 
and doors announcing the names of the members of the 
self-elected Provisional Government, constituted ' by voice 
of the sovereign people,' who had accepted their awful task 
of responsibility with other views, probably. Now came 
along, over barricades and fallen trees, an immense pro= 
cession bearing the broken throne,— now, again, masses 
of men bearing rags of the uniforms, of the shirts, of the 
drawers of the slaughtered Municipal Guards ; and 
drums were beat before them ; and the firing and the 
shouting were incessant ; and broken snatches of the 
Marseillaise were screamed by thousands of voices, be- 
gun and never ended ; and all was still hideous confu- 
sion. By night the illumination of joy and enthusiasm, 
as it was called, illumined the same or similar scenes. 
That night, and the next morning all was anarchy ; the 
troops were all disarmed — the people of all classes armed 
to the teeth : there was no restrictive force, no police, no 
government, no laws. The firing in the air was inces- 
sant throughout the whole night ; and a thousand con- 
jectures were made as to the work of destruction that 
was going on. 

" The extraordinarily vigorous measures of the Pro- 
visional Government in restoring order when wild bands 
were ravaging, pillaging, and burning in the country 
round, and threatening the safely of the capital, and the 
untiring zeal of the National Guards to the same end, 
after their untoward deed was done, have now restored 
its usual aspect to the capital : scarcely any thing now 
remains of the devastation and riot but the blackened 



246 ADDENDA. 

walls of the Palais Royal and the shattered windows of 
the Tuileries. With a gloomy and doubtful future the 
Flaneur has nothing to do : he has attempted to do no 
more than give a few vague sketches of some of the most 
stirring scenes of those three days, that have changed 
the destinies of France and shaken tl^ fabric of Euro- 
pean society.." 



THE END. 



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